Mario Kart DS Nintendo DS

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FAQ/Walkthrough

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| || Guide written and compiled by A I e x || |
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| Author: Alex Eagleson |
| Began: December 28th, 2005 |
| Completed: January 1st, 2006 |
| Email: StarOceanDC(at)gmail(dot)com |
| University of Guelph, Ontario |
|____________________________________________________________________________|
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| || Feel Free to contribute anything you wish via email || |
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| || CT.TS || Table of Contents || CT.TS || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| - Table of Contents.....................CT.TS |
| - Controls..............................CN.TR |
| - Introduction..........................00.00 |
| - Walkthrough...........................01.00 |
| - Game Mechanics........................01.00 |
| - Driving & Turning................01.00 |
| - Item Boxes & Items...............01.00 |
| - Drifting.........................01.00 |
| - Drift Boosts.....................01.00 |
| - Other Boosts.....................01.00 |
| - Slipstreaming....................01.00 |
| - Snaking..........................01.00 |
| - Items.................................02.00 |
| - Banana...........................02.01 |
| - Three Bananas....................02.02 |
| - Fake Item Box....................02.03 |
| - Green Shell......................02.04 |
| - Three Green Shells...............02.05 |
| - Red Shell........................02.06 |
| - Three Red Shells.................02.07 |
| - Blue Shell.......................02.08 |
| - Mushroom.........................02.09 |
| - Three Mushrooms..................02.10 |
| - Gold Mushroom....................02.11 |
| - Boo..............................02.12 |
| - Bomb-omb.........................02.13 |
| - Bullet Bill......................02.14 |
| - Blooper..........................02.15 |
| - Star.............................02.16 |
| - Lightning Bolt...................02.17 |
| - Mushroom Cup..........................0A.00 |
| - Figure-8 Circuit.................0A.01 |
| - Yoshi Falls......................0A.02 |
| - Cheep Cheep Beach................0A.03 |
| - Luigi's Mansion..................0A.04 |
| - Flower Cup............................0B.00 |
| - Desert Hills.....................0B.01 |
| - Delfino Square...................0B.02 |
| - Waluigi Pinball..................0B.03 |
| - Shroom Ridge.....................0B.04 |
| - Star Cup..............................0C.00 |
| - DK Pass..........................0C.01 |
| - Tick-Tock Clock..................0C.02 |
| - Mario Circuit....................0C.03 |
| - Airship Fortress.................0C.04 |
| - Special Cup...........................0D.00 |
| - Wario Stadium....................0D.01 |
| - Peach Gardens....................0D.02 |
| - Bowser's Castle..................0D.03 |
| - Rainbow ROad.....................0D.04 |
| - Shell Cup.............................0E.00 |
| - Mario Circuit 1..................0E.01 |
| - Moo Moo Farm.....................0E.02 |
| - Peach Circuit....................0E.03 |
| - Luigi Circuit....................0E.04 |
| - Banana Cup............................0F.00 |
| - Donut Plains.....................0F.01 |
| - Frappe Snowland..................0F.02 |
| - Bowser's Castle 2................0F.03 |
| - Baby Park........................0F.04 |
| - Leaf Cup..............................0G.00 |
| - Koopa Beach 2....................0G.01 |
| - Choco Mountain...................0G.02 |
| - Luigi Circuit....................0G.03 |
| - Mushroom Bridge..................0G.04 |
| - Lightning Cup.........................0H.00 |
| - Choco Island 2...................0H.01 |
| - Banshee Boardwalk................0H.02 |
| - Sky Garden.......................0H.03 |
| - Yoshi Circuit....................0H.04 |
| - Battle Mode...........................0I.00 |
| - Online Play...........................0J.00 |
| - Introduction.....................0J.01 |
| - Getting Connected................0J.02 |
| - Playing Online...................0J.03 |
| - Read Before You Play.............0J.04 |
| - Unlockables...........................0K.00 |
| - Unlockables......................0K.01 |
| - Staff Ghosts.....................0K.02 |
| - Kart Statistics.......................09.00 |
| - Mario............................09.A0 |
| - Luigi............................09.B0 |
| - Peach............................09.C0 |
| - Yoshi............................09.D0 |
| - Toad.............................09.E0 |
| - Donkey Kong......................09.F0 |
| - Wario............................09.G0 |
| - Bowser...........................09.H0 |
| - Dry Bones........................09.I0 |
| - Daisy............................09.J0 |
| - Waluigi..........................09.K0 |
| - R.O.B............................09.L0 |
| - Mission Mode..........................0M.00 |
| - Mission 1 - 1....................0M.11 |
| - Mission 1 - 2....................0M.12 |
| - Mission 1 - 3....................0M.13 |
| - Mission 1 - 4....................0M.14 |
| - Mission 1 - 5....................0M.15 |
| - Mission 1 - 6....................0M.16 |
| - Mission 1 - 7....................0M.17 |
| - Mission 1 - 8....................0M.18 |
| - Boss.............................0M.19 |
| - Mission 2 - 1....................0M.21 |
| - Mission 2 - 2....................0M.22 |
| - Mission 2 - 3....................0M.23 |
| - Mission 2 - 4....................0M.24 |
| - Mission 2 - 5....................0M.25 |
| - Mission 2 - 6....................0M.26 |
| - Mission 2 - 7....................0M.27 |
| - Mission 2 - 8....................0M.28 |
| - Boss.............................0M.29 |
| - Mission 3 - 1....................0M.31 |
| - Mission 3 - 2....................0M.32 |
| - Mission 3 - 3....................0M.33 |
| - Mission 3 - 4....................0M.34 |
| - Mission 3 - 5....................0M.35 |
| - Mission 3 - 6....................0M.36 |
| - Mission 3 - 7....................0M.37 |
| - Mission 3 - 8....................0M.38 |
| - Boss.............................0M.39 |
| - Mission 4 - 1....................0M.41 |
| - Mission 4 - 2....................0M.42 |
| - Mission 4 - 3....................0M.43 |
| - Mission 4 - 4....................0M.44 |
| - Mission 4 - 5....................0M.45 |
| - Mission 4 - 6....................0M.46 |
| - Mission 4 - 7....................0M.47 |
| - Mission 4 - 8....................0M.48 |
| - Boss.............................0M.49 |
| - Mission 5 - 1....................0M.51 |
| - Mission 5 - 2....................0M.52 |
| - Mission 5 - 3....................0M.53 |
| - Mission 5 - 4....................0M.54 |
| - Mission 5 - 5....................0M.55 |
| - Mission 5 - 6....................0M.56 |
| - Mission 5 - 7....................0M.57 |
| - Mission 5 - 8....................0M.58 |
| - Boss.............................0M.59 |
| - Mission 6 - 1....................0M.61 |
| - Mission 6 - 2....................0M.62 |
| - Mission 6 - 3....................0M.63 |
| - Mission 6 - 4....................0M.64 |
| - Mission 6 - 5....................0M.65 |
| - Mission 6 - 6....................0M.66 |
| - Mission 6 - 7....................0M.67 |
| - Mission 6 - 8....................0M.68 |
| - Boss.............................0M.69 |
| - Mission 7 - 1....................0M.71 |
| - Mission 7 - 2....................0M.72 |
| - Mission 7 - 3....................0M.73 |
| - Mission 7 - 4....................0M.74 |
| - Mission 7 - 5....................0M.75 |
| - Mission 7 - 6....................0M.76 |
| - Mission 7 - 7....................0M.77 |
| - Mission 7 - 8....................0M.78 |
| - Boss Stage.......................0M.79 |
| - Legal & Copyright.....................LE.AL |
| - Credits & Thanks......................CR.DS |
|____________________________________________________________________________|
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| || CN.TR || Controls || CN.TR || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
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____________________________________________________________________________
|+----------------------++--------------------------------------------------+|
|| D-Pad || Move ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| A Button || Drive ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| B Button || Reverse ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| X Button || Use item ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| Y Button || Change map ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| L Button || Use item ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| R Button || Hop & Drift ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| Start || Pause game ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| Select || Not used ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| Touchscreen || Choose options & change map ||
||______________________||__________________________________________________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+-- INTRODUCTION --------------------------------------------------- 00.00 --+
Welcome to my walkthrough for Mariokart DS which I am writing as a means
to pass the time while I wait for the stores to get another shipment of Animal
Crossing: Wild World. Of course we shouldn't let that spoil are fun should
we? What we have here is an absolutely fantastic game with all sorts of tips
and tricks hidden away just waiting to be exploited by you. Whether you're
looking for online strategies, or just general help with the single player
game you've probably come to the right place. If not, then enjoy it anyway.
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| || 01.00 || Game Mechanics || 01.00 || |
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__________________________________________________________________________
/+------------------------------------------------------------------------+\
|| ________________________________ ||
|| | +----------------------------+ | ||
|| Current Position | | ___ | | ||
|| \ | | | |____Item LAP 1/3 | | ||
|| \________ | | |___| \___________ ||
|| \| | | | \ ||
|| \ | Character | | Current Lap ||
|| |\| _/ | | ||
|| | \ / | | ||
|| . . . . . . . | |\ ___/___ | | . . . . . . . ||
|| . . . . . . . | | \ | Mario | | | . . . . . . . ||
|| . . . . . . . | | 1st |_______| | | . . . . . . . ||
|| . . . . . . . | |____________________________| | . . . . . . . ||
|| _ |________________________________| _ ||
|| |_| ______________________________ |_| ||
//| |_ ___________ ___________ __ _| |\\
||\\___________________|_|___________|___________|__|_|___________________//||
|| +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ ||
||____________ ________________________________ ____________||
|| ___ \ | +----------------------------+ | / ___ ___ ||
|| |___| | | | ___ \\ Time: 0:00:000 | | | |___| |___| ||
|| | | ||_1_| \\ \\ \ | | | ||
|| _ | | ||_2_| \\ O \\ \ | | | _ ||
|| | | | | /|_3_| \\ O \\ \ | | | /X\ ||
|| __| |__ | |/||_4_| \\ \\ \__| | | _ \_/ _ ||
|| |__ __| | / ||_5_| || O || \ | | /Y\ /A\ ||
|| | | | /| ||_6_| || O || |\| | \_/ _ \_/ ||
|| |_| | / | ||_7_| || || | \ | /B\ ||
|| | / | ||_8_| || O || | |\ | \_/ ||
|| | / | |___________||_____||________| |Total | ||
|| | / | / NintendoDS \ |Time | ||
||____________/ / |/______________________________\| \____________||
|| Positions _ _ _ ||
\\____________________|_|________________________|_|_|_|___________________//
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+-- DRIVING & TURNING ---------------------------------------------- 01.01 --+
The basic moves and maneuvers of the game. The A button is held during a
race to drive forward and the D-Pad is used to turn your kart. Nothing
complicated there. Obviously if this was the extent of every race, the game
would get boring rather quickly. Beyond these options there are additional
features to keep you busy during every race, whether they are player
controlled techniques or simply different aspects of the races themselves.
Everything you need to know about playing this game is described below from
the most basic to the most advanced. Be sure to take it one step at a time.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- ITEM BOXES & ITEMS --------------------------------------------- 01.02 --+
In just about every race in the game, unless you're playing the Time Trial
mode, you will find coloured item boxes places in bunches on the course. When
you drive through one of these item boxes, an item will be randomly generated
into your inventory. The item you get depends primarily on one variable, and
that's the position you are in. The idea is that the further behind you are,
the better the item you will get to help you catch up. Each of the items are
discussed individually further down in the guide for reference. Once you have
an item in your inventory you have three options depending on what the item
is. Firstly you can use the item by pressing either the X button or the L
button (the L button is a lot more convenient.) When the L button is pressed
whatever item you have in your inventory will be used immediately.
The other two options are throwing and dragging the item. Throwing comes into
play with Bananas, Shells and Fake Item Boxes. Bananas and Fake Item Boxes
are automatically dropped behind you, however if you use them while holding up
on the D-Pad you will throw them ahead of you. Shells are automatically
thrown forward, but if you hold down on the D-Pad and use either a Green or
Red Shell you can throw them behind you. Items can also be dragged behind
you. These include the same items which can be thrown either forward or
backward. While dragging an item behind you it will act as a shield to some
of the weaker weapons like Green Shells and Red Shells, but not to Blue
Shells, Stars, etc. After a shell hits the item you are dragging the item is
gone so be careful in that respect. Always keep in mind that different items
can be used in different ways in different situations. Pick the right one.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- DRIFTING ------------------------------------------------------- 01.03 --+
Drifting is a very important technique to learn, and a virtual necessity for
doing well in the upper classes and while playing online. Drifting is
performed by pressing and holding the R trigger while turning. Drifting
allows you to kind of slide-turn, where you sacrifice a bit of control for the
reward of maintaining your momentum around a corner. Drifting is one of those
things that requires quite a bit of practice in order to perfect. A good
amount of prep time before a turn is vital for a good drift. For example,
drifting might not be as effective on a bunch of repeated sharp turns in a row
as it would be on a long turn that you come at from a distance. That's not to
say that drifting is a technique you use sparingly, in this game it's almost
always the preferred choice in any turn of a reasonable angle. A good drift
is one which begins before you even reach the turn, and has you facing in the
direction that you will be turning by the time you actually reach the turn.
At that point you let go of the R trigger and stop turning. You should be
able to drive forward in the new direction with a very minimal loss of speed.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- DRIFT BOOST ---------------------------------------------------- 01.04 --+
Once a player has mastered the drift, this is the next logical progression.
A Drift Boost is a drift... with a boost. Despite being one of the worst
explanations in history, that was actually quite accurate. A drift is a turn
where you start sliding early and then proceed to drive in the new direction
without losing speed. A Drift Boost allows you to start sliding early and
drive in the new direction with a "boost" of speed. Once again you're gaining
speed at a further loss of control, but experienced players will be able to
compensate quite easily. Performing the Drift Boost is no a difficult task:
A Drift Boost is performed by tapping left, right, left, right repeatedly over
and over again while drifting. You might that it would be impossible to
control while doing this, but the actual taps of each direction are so minute
that it doesn't really affect your directional movement all that much. Of
course the faster you are able to do it the better, since it's pretty hard to
maneuver the actual turn without holding down one direction on the D-Pad.
The best way to do it is to simply jam your thumb in the middle of the D-Pad
and rock it back and forth. You can tell if you're doing it correctly by
watching the sparks on the wheels of your car. They'll start by flashing
blue, at that point you're half way done. When they flash red you're ready to
boost. Upon finishing the drift and letting go of the R trigger you'll get a
burst of speed in the direction that you're facing. It's pretty handy.
Technically the next logical progression of this technique is snaking, but
whether that was an intentional progression by the game designers is as
arguable a topic as it was in F-Zero GX. It's honestly up to you.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- OTHER BOOSTS --------------------------------------------------- 01.05 --+
If you've played other Mariokart games before then you're undoubtedly familiar
with the initial boost you can get at the beginning. Well there's no
difference here except that you get numbers rather than coloured traffic
lights. Getting the boss is really quite easy if you know when to do it. The
numbers 3, 2, 1 will appear on the screen at the beginning of the race. The
two will appear on the screen and than a short instant later the number two
will "start to grow" before disappearing. I find that you can most reliably
get the boost if you hold the A button when the number two "starts to grow."
Keep holding it until the race begins and you'll launch from the start line.
One other special type of boost you can get comes after you have been launched
off the course. The nice cloud guy will fish you out of the water, or out of
bounds or wherever you went, and drop you down on the ground again. Keep your
finger off the A button while all this is happening and do your best to jam it
down the instant you hit the ground after being dropped. This particular
trick is more difficult to execute than the initial starting line one, but
it's certainly something you need to know for the courses without walls on the
sides. Remember to drive when you hear the thump, and you'll launch off.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- SLIPSTREAMING -------------------------------------------------- 01.06 --+
This is a technique I only recently became aware of, entirely by accident. To
do it you must be behind another racer, and I mean literally behind. Not just
in position, but actually behind their cart. As you drive behind them using
your opponent as a wind shield some blue streaks will start to appear on
screen and you'll speed up a little. As you get closer and closer to your
opponent's back suddenly this weird blue wave will surround your kart and
you'll be given a surprisingly lengthy burst of speed that should allow you
not only to get ahead of your opponent, but a decent distance ahead too.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- SNAKING -------------------------------------------------------- 01.07 --+
Given that F-Zero GX is one of my favourite games ever, I am quite familiar
with the concept of Snaking which (as far as I know) originated with that
game. The idea is that you're "exploiting the game's driving physics" in
order to increase your normal driving speed where it wasn't necessarily meant
to be used. Before I continue any further I should mention that a lot of
people consider this technique to be cheating. In most cases that wouldn't
really matter at all, but since this is a reasonably popular game online, it's
probably best if you stick to your better Judgement and only utilize this
technique if your opponent is in agreement, and using it as well. This is
just a personal position, once again, how you proceed is up to you. That fact
of the matter is that a lot of people who play online use this technique, and
while it is very possible for a non-snaker to beat a snaker, like it or not if
you want to win online with any consistency, you need to know this technique.
Snaking is the process of using the Drift Boost over and over again on a
straight road rather than a turn, and using the speed boosts you get from it
to boost you faster down the road. Basically you start on one side of the
track and begin drifting while rocking the D-Pad. Try to avoid turning on an
angle while you almost immediately boost yourself forward. The key to
successful snaking is the extremely fast execution of the boost with the Drift
Boost technique, you really have to rock that D-Pad. Done correctly you'll be
able to do it back and forth, left and right, all the way up the track.
______________________________________________________________________________
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|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || 02.00 || Items || 02.00 || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BANANA -----------------> The Banana is traditionally the most basic of the
Mariokart items you will find, and if you spend
[02.01] a lot of time in first place you have better be
ready to make this particular item your best
friend. By pressing the item button this item
can be dropped behind you. Opponents will slip
over it and spin out, losing a decent amount of
speed and control. The Banana can also be
thrown by holding up on the D-Pad and pressing
the item button. This way you can chance
hitting an opponent ahead of you, just be
careful you don't slip on the Banana yourself.
Leave the Banana in areas where you think
opponents are most likely to run over it like on
the inside track of a corner, around some item
boxes, or better yet maybe in the middle of a
Booster Pad.
THREE BANANAS ---------> Similar to the original Banana these ones come
in bunches of three. When you use them item it
[02.02] won't actually deploy any Bananas, it will make
it so you start dragging them behind you. While
being dragged behind you, you can even use them
as a dangerous tail to spin out enemies behind
you. Press the item button to drop them
individually. Try to avoid dropping them too
close together in a straight line, a horizontal
line across the track however is perfectly fine.
Like the other ones, these Bananas can also be
thrown by holding up on the D-Pad and pressing
the item button up to three times.
FAKE ITEM BOX ---------> Similar to the Banana in nature, this one is
more likely to hit your opponents for two
[02.03] reasons. One because it's bigger and takes up
more space, but mostly because you can hide it
among real item boxes and trick your opponents
into thinking it's the real thing. When you
have one it can be either dropped or thrown like
the Banana. A dropped Fake Item Box is much more
effective however because you can really
position it will. Do your best to drop it
directly in the same position as a real box so
your opponent can't tell it's fake, even when
they know what to look for. Unlike a real item
box, the Fake Item Box does not have a question
mark icon inside of it, that's how you tell the
difference between them. If you see an
unfamiliar box on the course make sure to look
for the question mark icon before you pick it
up. There are real boxes that sit alone by
themselves, so simply looking for item boxes
which are part of a bunch isn't good enough.
You should always make a quick check.
GREEN SHELL -----------> Another traditionally classic Mariokart item is
the Green Shell. The Green Shell will knock an
[02.04] opponent out if it hits them and really slow
them down. By pressing the item button a Green
Shell can be fired forward toward you opponent.
It will go straight at all times and bounce off
any walls that it hits until it hits an
opponent, falls off the edge of a cliff, hits
another shell, or gets eliminated in some other
way. A Green Shell can not only be fired
forward, but backward as well by holding down on
the D-Pad when you use it. Lastly a Green Shell
can be dragged behind you as a shield protecting
your back by holding the item button but not
releasing it.
THREE GREEN SHELLS -----> The similarities between the Banana and the
Three Bananas are analogous to the similarities
[02.05] between the Green Shell and the three Green
Shells. When you use the Three Green Shells
none of them will actually fire, instead they
will form a protective barrier around your
character. Each time a shells comes toward you
there is a chance it will hit one of the shells
surrounding you and protect you from being hit.
The more shells you have around you the better
protected you are. Like the Green Shells you
can fire them either forward or backward, but
note that you're not actually shooting them
ahead of your character, but ahead of the shell
itself. It's difficult to explain but when you
fire a shell spinning around you which is say
for example, on your right at this moment, it
will shoot straight ahead FROM the right.
You'll know what I mean when you use them, but
suffice to say the three shells are a bit more
difficult to aim than the single Green Shell
itself. You should also note that while you've
got the shells surrounding you, it might be a
good idea to try and drive into opponents so
that your shield actually knows them out.
RED SHELL -------------> A close cousin of the Green Shells, the Red
Shell is the bigger, nastier bully of the two.
[02.06] At first glance it seems to act in a very
similar manner. You can shoot it ahead of you
or behind you by holding down on the D-Pad.
When you launch the shell it flies off ahead of
you like the Green Shell, but that's where the
similarities end. The Red Shells is a heat
seeking death missile which won't rest until it
hits either an opponent, or anything else in its
path. Unlike the Green Shells it will not
bounce when it hits a wall, rather it will
simply disappear. Making up for this inadequacy
however is its ability to systematically hunt
down the opponent in front of you and hit them
from behind. If they're dragging an items
behind them then the shell will break when it
connects, though in any other case the opponent
is knocked out.
THREE RED SHELLS ------> There's really not a lot to say about the Three
Red Shells that can't be picked up by reading
[02.07] the Three Green Shells section, followed by the
Red Shells description. That does however have
the disadvantage of being two independent
articles, so let's sum it all up quickly right
here. Three Red Shells start to circle you
forming a protective shield, each shell can be
shot individually and they'll heat-seek the
nearest opponent ahead of you or behind
depending on where you shoot. Try to ram an
opponent while the shield is in full effect and
the shells orbiting your character knock out the
opponent.
BLUE SHELL ------------> You might think this is yet another variation of
the Green Shell or the Red Shell, but think
[02.08] again. Besides the word shell being preceded
by a colour, they're really quite different.
You won't be able to pick up one of these babies
unless you're really falling back in the race,
but when you do it's worth it. Launch the Blue
Shell (only forward) will cause it to heat-seek
the character who is currently in first place
and smash them in a fiery explosion which
incapacitates them longer than almost any other
item. The Blue Shell cannot possibly miss, hit
a wall or be knocked out by any other means.
Once shot it is guaranteed to hit. If you
happen to be in first place and hear the
familiar sound of a Blue Shell coming, it might
be a good idea to pull back a little so you
don't have to be the one bearing the full force
of this behemoth.
MUSHROOM --------------> With a Mushroom in your inventory you have at
your fingertips the ability to give yourself a
[02.09] boost of speed any time you want. Press the
item button with a Mushroom in your inventory
and you'll launch forward. When a Mushroom is
used on rough terrain you will temporarily be
immune to its slowing effects. For this reason
the Mushroom is the ultimate shortcut item, you
can give yourself a burst of speed to get across
some sandy terrain which is a shorter path, but
would normally slow you down. This way you'll
be able to get across it not only without being
slowed down, but actually with the Mushroom
speeding you up. Use it to get extra air off of
a jump or just to help you catch up with an
opponent from behind, the traditional way.
THREE MUSHROOMS -------> Similar to the single Mushroom this particular
item allows you to use a total of three normal
[02.10] Mushrooms before it runs out. Each Mushroom you
use acts as a normal Mushroom. You're more
likely to get this one if you're falling behind
in the race.
GOLD MUSHROOM ---------> The ultimate Mushroom. When you use this once
the timer begins, it doesn't actually appear on
[02.11] screen but you can use that Mushroom as many
times as you like before it disappears. It
doesn't disappear based on how many times you
use it, but rather a set period of time starting
after the first use so there's no drawback to
using it over and over again as much as you can.
Each use gives you a speed boost similar to that
of a normal Mushroom so if you're far behind
then this item can really help you get ahead,
especially since you can cross the rougher
terrain without slowing down.
BOO --------------------> Boo is the general name for the ghosts in Mario,
and in this situation Boo is the name of the
item stealing ghost you can use as an item.
When you see a ghost appear in your inventory,
use it and the ghost will track down any other
player with an item and bring that item back to
you. Not only do you get the item, but it
steals it away from the other player so that
they can no longer use it. Just be careful
because the same thing can happen to you. If
you pick up something good don't waste too much
time before you use it otherwise you risk having
it stolen. There is an additional bonus to
using this item as for. For a short period of
time after using a Boo your character will fade
into ghost form during which time he/she will be
immune to dangers like shells and Bananas, as
well as not appear on the map.
BOMB-OMB ---------------> The Bomb-omb is just the official name for the
bomb item that you might pick up during your run
[02.13] through the stage. When used as an item the
Bomb-omb is thrown forward where it hits the
ground, waits a second or two, and then explodes
with a large blast radius. Great for taking out
more than one opponent however it's extremely
dangerous and hard to throw accurately. Keep
in mind that in throwing it forward you also
risk driving directly into the explosion as
well. Fortunately the item can not only be
thrown forward, but also dragged and dropped
behind you. There's virtually no chance of
being hit by the bomb when you drop it behind.
BULLET BILL ------------> One of two brand new items appearing only in
Mariokart DS. This is basically like a super
[02.14] fast autopilot and is arguably the best item you
can receive when you're trailing far behind.
Your kart will automatically transform into a
large bullet and get a super burst of speed.
The AI will drive for you perfectly at super
speed around every corner. Not only that you'll
cream any opponents in your way as you go. It
lasts for a decent amount of time but not TOO
long. Usually enough to get your from last
place to about 4th or 5th.
BLOOPER ----------------> The second of two brand new items exclusive to
Mariokart DS. When used the Blooper will splash
[02.15] a blast of ink into the faces of all the
opponents who are ahead of you in the race,
screwing up their vision and making them drive
erratically. Since they can't see where they're
going you'll often have the advantage of still
being able to take all the best paths and
shortcuts. You'll really understand what your
opponents are going through when the item is
used by someone behind you. Two or three blasts
of ink cover the screen in random positions and
start to slide down. Most of the time it's still
possible to see well enough ahead of you to
drive as you normally would, but at times you'll
be forced to drive by the map on the touch
screen until it wears off.
STAR -------------------> The Star is probably the best "overall" item you
can get in the game, while its effect may only
[02.16] last a short period of time it can really help
you blast ahead of every other opponent. When
you use a Star your character will begin to
flash. At this point you now drive much faster,
you can drive into opponents and smash them out
of the way, and lastly your vehicle is not
effected by slowing terrain so you are free to
take all the shortcuts you want.
LIGHTNING BOLT ---------> This is the classic "all powerful item" which
has been around since the beginning of the
[02.17] series. Only found by people in last or close
to last place, the Lightning Bolt will hit every
single opponent in the race and shrink them down
to a miniscule size. While small your opponents
move slower, giving you the opportunity to not
only pass them but also run over them, squishing
them into tiny pancakes. Used at the proper
time you can also completely screw up your
opponent trying to get into a shortcut, or going
over a jump.
____________________________________________________________________________
|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || || Nitro Grand Prix || || |
| || 0A.00 || ---------- || 0A.00 || |
| || || Mushroom Cup || || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+-- FIGURE-8 CIRCUIT ----------------------------------------------- 0A.01 --+
The Figure-8 Circuit is the game's first, and arguably most basic driving
course generally made to help you get a feel for the game. It runs in a
figure-8 pattern around for three laps, and then it's over. Short and sweet.
As you come out of the starting gate you'll approach a left turn. This turn
is very long and not too sharp making it perfect to Drift Boost around. Drift
and boost at least three times if possible when going around this corner. On
the straightaway afterward, stick to the left side of the track so that you
can easily drift into the next turn. This turn is just as long as the first
one so that should make it just as easy for you to sneak in a few Drift Boosts
around the corner. Following this corner is the finish line to the stage, no
shortcuts or anything of that nature. Just a nice smooth ride.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- YOSHI FALLS ---------------------------------------------------- 0A.02 --+
Yoshi Falls is a course which offers two lanes for the entire race, and a
decision to be made by the player as to which lane should be chosen. On the
right lane you have the obvious short path since it's closer to the middle,
and the odd item box here and there. On the outer path you not only have more
item boxes, but you also have Booster Pads near the end. The waterfalls on
the inside path make that one a little bit dangerous if you're not boosting
through, so that's another thing to keep in mind when racing this course.
When starting out on the course you're faced with a decision immediately, left
or right? The right path is obviously shorter but the left path nets you an
item. If you're in first place take the right path (make sure to aim high on
the water and jump to avoid being washed away.) If you're trailing behind the
item will certainly help you out more than a tiny shortcut will. After
passing the item boxes keep in mind that the shortest distance between two
points is a straight line. Even if you cross from the left to right to left
lane that's not really an issue if you're saving time. Take the left path at
the second split as well, by try your best to remain close to the middle.
After this point Booster Pads will start appearing in the left lane. There is
very little reason to use the right lane after this point. What you want to
do is try your very best to stay as close to the middle as possible at all
times. Hit the right edge of the Booster Pads and launch forward along the
centre divider for the course. That way you'll get the best of both worlds.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- CHEEP CHEEP BEACH ---------------------------------------------- 0A.03 --+
The beach is a bit more complex than the previous two courses, for the first
time never being totally black and white on exactly where you should go. It's
also the first course to offer a handy little shortcut. The beach starts off
on the docks and from there jumps down onto the actual beach area. The beach
zigs and zags and offers plenty of jumps to help you get ahead of your
opponents before finally "S" curving back to the finish line. At the start of
the race head forward onto the dock and try Drift Boosting to the right around
the 90 degree turn. It can be a bit tricky which is why you should start
drifting early. If you have trouble with this then drifting normally will do
just fine. Ahead of that is a boost jump, it's like any other jump except the
coloured Booster Pad launches you off of it. If you hit the R trigger just
before you go airborne you can get quite a bit more distance. Grab an item
when you land and get ready to Drift Boost around the next right turn. You
can get in a couple of Drift Boosts before reaching the second boost jump.
Now at this point there's a shortcut you can take, but you should only take it
if you have a Mushroom, perhaps a Star, or another speed boosting item.
Notice that there is a sign with an arrow ahead of you pointing to the left.
Well you can go left, snag an item, turn right, and go straight. OR, you can
whip out a Mushroom and launch yourself across the hypotenuse. By this I
mean angle yourself just slightly to the left of the sign with the arrow on a
45 degree (or less) angle to your left and use a Mushroom (preferably two) to
get across this stretch of water which is somewhat deep, but not deep enough
to consider you off-course. Successful navigation of this shortcut without
being slowed down by the water will give you a significant advantage. Anyway
stay close to the castle wall after that and go around the next corner. Drift
Boost into the fenced area and pick up an item box. You can try Drift
Boosting through here, though it's pretty dangerous. Normal drifting should
work just fine from here until you manage to reach the finish line.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- LUIGI'S MANSION ------------------------------------------------ 0A.04 --+
If the name of this track sounds familiar it's probably because you've either
played (or at least heard of) the game of the same name. Besides locale the
track and the game have very little in common in fact. Your goal is to
navigate through these scary wooded areas and the haunted mansion itself. You
start out at the entrance to the mansion and are forced to drive down inside
it. There are a number of obstacles not only inside, but outside as well.
Past the mansion are moving tree monsters that do their best to get in your
way, and a mucky swampland almost impossible to circumvent. When you begin
the race there's little to do but drive forward and into the mansion. Right
as you go down the slope you'll have your first chance to really get ahead.
This is a 180 degree turn here, and if you can drift around it while preparing
a Drift Boost (it's actually easier then it sounds) then you can launch
yourself down the second slope and really boost ahead of your opponents.
In the basement area here stay away from the middle unless you want to come
face to face with a large obstacle. The final tunnel leading out of the
mansion will equip you with some kind of item. If you have a Mushroom in your
inventory then make a sharp left out of this tunnel and boost across the field
behind the tree to save some time. In fact this entire area is filled with
sharp turns that can be bypassed with good timing and use of a Mushroom (or
Star). Make sure to keep that in mind. Start drifting to the right when you
come out of the gate and try to get a Drift Boost here. Right after this
section comes the area with all the moving trees and swampland.
The mucky goo that you are forced to drive you will slow you down, but not
quite as much as say, the tall grass on the edges of the track. To get
through here as fast as possible, you should endeavor to do two things.
Firstly is (duh) to avoid all the monster trees. The second is to spend as
little time in the muck as possible. After the initial island with all the
item boxes, stick to the right side where you'll get a bit of a track
straight. Also keep in mind that while you can Drift Boost on the mud, you
won't actually get the boost unless you're on normal land. This doesn't mean
you shouldn't try it at all, what it does mean is that if you can start
prepping your Drift Boost as you glide through the mud, and release it when
you hit land, that should give you a good advantage. Coming out of the swampy
area set up a Drift Boost on the large left turn leading up to the finish.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || || Nitro Grand Prix || || |
| || 0B.00 || -------- || 0B.00 || |
| || || Flower Cup || || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+-- DESERT HILLS --------------------------------------------------- 0B.01 --+
This desert course takes you back and forth through all sorts of classic Mario
imagery. The course itself differs from previous ones in that it is very
twisty not just left and right, but up and down too with all the hills and
such. We're starting to get into the more difficult courses to navigate, but
with practice I'm sure you'll do just fine. It's not just static course
issues you'll be facing, those tall spikey guys are out in full force and Mr.
Sun will start blasting fiery balls of rage down on your head after the first
lap has been completed. These unforeseen obstacles mean success on this
course is more than just memorization. You will need quick thinking too.
Start off the course Drift Boosting around the corner to the right while
picking up an item box. If you happen to snag a Mushroom then you're in luck
because we're already upon the stage's best shortcut. Notice that beside the
next large turn to the left is a large pyramid. Well between the pyramid and
the wall itself is a small gap, the perfect size for a kart. Of course that
whole area is deep sand that will slow you down to a snail's pace, but with a
Mushroom or two you'll be able to speed through it and really cut that corner
saving you lots of time. If you don't have a Mushroom then at least be sure
to Drift Boost around that corner, and the next corner to the right after
that. Coming up after this is a bit of a jump. You can hop before you go
airborne to save a very minute amount of time, but I find that if you don't
hop you'll have a better chance of gaining control again and picking up one of
the item boxes. Coming up after is a very interesting part of the course.
The track weaves back and forth, up and down all over the place. Drifting
between these corners should really help you control yourself and take them
better. Drift Boosting is a whole other story altogether. While it's
obviously the preferable choice it is extremely dangerous. After a decent
amount of practice hopefully you'll be able to Drift Boost these corners like
a pro, but until then you might want to consider just normal controlled
boosting as the less dangerous option. There's still a third option which
comes into play if you've got either Mushrooms or a Star, and that option is
to circumvent these stupid turns entirely. I mentioned before that the
shortest distance between two points is a straight line, so to hell with all
reason, and blast yourself right down the middle of every corner. Launch
yourself over the big hills with a Mushroom and skip the turns entirely.
There's a damn good chance you'll fling yourself off-course, but if you don't
it will significantly increase your lead. The last thing to keep in mind is
that flaming balls of fire will be shot down upon you by Mr. Sun in subsequent
laps. There's no special surefire way to avoid these, the best tip that I can
give is to simply steer clear and hope they don't land right on top of you.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- DELFINO SQUARE ------------------------------------------------- 0B.02 --+
Every new course you play seems to bring something new to the table. This
course offers real down-to-earth shortcuts, difficult maneuvers and branching
paths. It's a city level with a number of thin paths (sorry to all the
Snakers out there). Not only this there are sections of the level where you
can fall right off into the water, a fun boosting rainbow bridge which moves,
and more. Overall a very good level which I'll dissect for you below.
The first thing to note in this stage is the wacky and fun music playing in
the background. Once you get over the odd vocals you can launch yourself from
the starting line and attempt to do a Drift Boost around the first right turn.
Pick up and item and start Drift Boosting to the left. If you get the boost
here you'll almost certainly have to settle for a normal boost around the next
90 degree turn to the right as it comes up so fast. This section of the track
is really closed in by the walls so stay as close to the middle as you can.
Coming out of here is a branch in the path. To be completely honest with you,
neither is really much different from the other at all. I tend to prefer
taking the left branch for reasons that will become clear soon (basically
because when the paths reconnect you'll be going straight while the other
branch turns, that way you maintain more speed for the upcoming shortcut.)
Well as I just explained, right after the paths reconnect there is a pretty
big and exceedingly difficult to perform, jump to a shortcut. Coming out of
the area closed in my the houses and buildings there is a bridge in front of
you, and an opening in the fence on your left. If you go through this opening
and drive on a 45 degree angle you can actually hop (with the help of a
Mushroom/Star, or if you're really lucky in 150cc) from the edge to a small
wooden dock below. For all the work and risk you have to take this shortcut
really isn't all that great. It gets you an extra item which helps, but you
can actually just drop down from the road above and grab that item box if you
really want it anyway. I felt it important to point this shortcut out to you,
but in a real race there's something a lot better you'll want to do.
This applies whether you actually have a Mushroom in your inventory or not.
Coming out of the area closed off by the houses and buildings, ignore the
opening on the left and go straight across the bridge. On the other side turn
left and then note the crates on your right. Behind these crates is a hidden
shortcut between the houses which takes you across a bunch of muck and guck to
the exit on the other side. While it does slow you down immensely, even
without the Mushroom this path can serve to save some time. I don't
necessarily recommend taking it if you don't have a Mushroom, you'll have to
practice and judge for yourself. When you do use a Mushroom make sure to use
it early. Using it too late means that you'll speed out of the shortcut and
right off the edge of the cliff into the water. You've got to make a hard
right when you come out the other side and that's difficult at top speed.
There's another set of item boxes here, grab one and get ready for the bridge.
The bridge will be in a random state when you reach it, either down, up, or
moving between the two. Either way you'll get a nice speed boost going off of
it. If the bridge is all the way up then do NOT hop while launching off of it
or you'll land in the slow dirt area. If you have a Mushroom or Star in your
inventory then there's another good chance to shave a bit off of your final
time. Notice that the path after the bridge turns right, left, left, right
ever so gradually in kind of a "]" shape? Well you can skip that whole
turning sequence entirely by simply boosting across the dirt. While it may
not seem like a big deal, you'll be surprised how much that turning slows you
down. Drift Boost to the right after this section and off to the finish line.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- WALUIGI PINBALL ------------------------------------------------ 0B.03 --+
Waluigi Pinball is a fantastically fun course full of all sorts of crazy
obstacles out to get you. Part of the course actually mimics a real pinball
machine in the way it's designed, you'll probably have a lot of fun with this
one. Of course there are a number of dangers as well as thing you need to
keep in mind, and that's where I come in. When the race begins you're
launched automatically through this crazy vortex and out the other side,
flying through the air. Immediately as you land get ready to drift boost
around the corner. Now you have to ask yourself which is more important, the
item boxes on the left or the Booster Pads on the right. The item boxes have
the advantage of being on the inside track and getting you an item, while the
Booster Panels has the advantage of well... giving you a boost. Take the best
of both worlds by boosting off the first panel into the item boxes, and then
nailing the third boost right before you launch off the cliff down the track.
At this point a new danger appears, the pinball. Pinballs will roll from
behind you at about the same speed (probably slower) that you are moving.
This means that the only way they will catch up with you is if you hit an
obstacle, or get hit by an item. You're more than likely going to end up
catching up to another pinball, and then you'll have to figure out a way to
maneuver around it. The pinballs take up a good 40-50% of the track so be
careful. Drift around the first corner to the left and then start Drift
Boosting as much as you can around the next couple of corners. Don't hop when
you hit the jump or you'll fly too far. Drift Boost to the right when you
land and pick up one of the item boxes. Continue to Drift Boost around the
next couple of corners until you reach the bottom of the hill.
What you have here in front of you is a replica pinball machine, except a hell
of a lot bigger. Not only do you have to dodge the moving parts in the
machine, but also any pinballs being smacked randomly around in the area.
It's a dangerous place. There are a few item boxes in the centre of the road
and if you miss those, you'll find a few more just a bit further up near the
central obstacle that the other things are spinning around. Avoid the paddles
at the end (obviously) and Drift Boost around the corners to reach the finish.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- SHROOM RIDGE --------------------------------------------------- 0B.04 --+
You might remember the stage in Mariokart 64 with all of the traffic (and
remember the added difficulty of playing it on Mirror Mode.) Well this time
around there's a similar stage with a little bit less traffic, but the
additional danger of launching yourself over the edge of the road on the
sharper turns. The danger is minimal at the beginning as you boost out of the
starting line and Drift Boost around the corner to the left, picking up an
item box if you can. The course itself doesn't really offer too many
surprises, it's mostly the traffic designed to really get in your way.
Continue to Drift Boost around the next couple of corners, remember that this
technique is a lot more dangerous here as you're flying blindly around corners
unable to see the traffic ahead. Try to use your map as well as the main
screen to give yourself a little bit of leeway. As you're coming up the hill
with the stone wall on your left and the dirt wall on you're right, you can
save a bit of time by using a Mushroom or Star to launch yourself across the
grass on your left and skip the corner. Keep in mind as well that in this
area there are lone item boxes which aren't fake, they're simply moving along
the road waiting to be collected. Fake boxes do not have the question mark
icon inside of them, that's how you tell. Proceed forward into the tunnel.
Coming out of the tunnel is where it starts to get dangerous. There are no
walls on the sides here so when you're Drift Boosting around the corner to the
left you have to watch not only that you avoid traffic, but that you avoid
skidding off the edge of the course. The rest of the stage is basically a
couple of "S" shaped turns which lead you right to the finish line.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || || Nitro Grand Prix || || |
| || 0C.00 || ------ || 0C.00 || |
| || || Star Cup || || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+-- DK Pass -------------------------------------------------------- 0C.01 --+
The DK Pass is a winding snow course which takes you all over the mountain.
There's nothing really special to note, really it's the sharp turns (and many
of them) which sums up most of the difficulty of this course. The only other
thing you need to be aware of are the large rolling snowballs about five times
the size of your kart which barrel down the course. Drift Boost to the right
at the beginning into the tunnel and then Drift Boost again left when you come
out of it. At the top of the hill make sure to pick up one of the item boxes.
Around the next "S" shaped turns there is no barrier on the side of the road,
so you'll need to be careful when drifting. The first shortcut in the level
comes just after this "S" turn. You'll see a barrier with arrows pointing
left ahead of you, and a red net-barrier on your left. When the red barrier
on your left ends, make a very sharp left turn (only if you have a Mushroom or
Star) and drive up this snowy hill. Doing so you will be able to avoid the
large left turn entirely and save a good deal of time on this corner.
That's not the only shortcut however, the next one comes very soon after that
one. If you still have a Mushroom / Star (or just picked one up) then be
prepared to do the exact same thing up the steep snowy hill on your left. Not
only is this actually a better shortcut, but there's also an item box at the
top of the hill to pick up as you shoot ahead of everyone else. Land on the
track and Drift Boost around to your left to reach some item boxes and another
"S" curve. After the turn you've got one large boost jump before the course's
final turn. On this corner as you drift around to the right, make sure you're
careful to aim yourself between the snowmen otherwise you could find yourself
in a sticky situation when trying to Drift Boost to the finish line.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- TICK-TOCK CLOCK ------------------------------------------------ 0C.02 --+
This here is a great level based on the Super Mario 64 level of the same name.
You've got your branching paths and even moving parts that will act as
obstacles, slow you down, or even speed you up if utilized to your advantage.
When the race begins Drift Boost around the left turn and be very careful
because there are no walls on the course in this area. At the top you'll come
to a little bit of a fork in the road. This is actually the face of a clock
with both a minute hand and an hour hand. Try to see which hand is moving
clockwise and which is moving counter-clockwise. You should do your best to
go in the same direction as the longer minute hand, that way it has less
chance of coming around and hitting you head-on. Make sure you use both the
Booster Pads on whichever side to increase your speed going through here.
At the bottom of the hill you've got a sharp turn to the right (perfect for
Drift Boosting) which leads you directly to the item boxes and the moving
clock obstacle. Make sure you position yourself so that by the time you reach
the obstacle it's nowhere near you. After this you've got the spinning cogs
that you need to drive across. This part can be really fun and give you a
great advantage if you know what you're doing. Since they change directions I
can't tell you which way to go specifically. You need to look ahead and see
which way the gear is turning. If it's turning clockwise then jump down onto
the left side so that the momentum of the gear gives you some extra speed, if
it's turning counter-clockwise then do the opposite. Hop from the first gear
onto the second gear on the opposite side (it will always be moving in the
opposite direction) to maintain your speed, then onto the opposite side of the
third gear and so on until you reach the end. If all goes well then you will
have driven in the same direction as the movement each time.
Following directly after this section, and past the zig-zagging turn is
another clock face with only a single hand moving in a counter-clockwise
direction. The clock itself is moving clockwise and the path leading off of
it is slightly on your left. If you've got a Mushroom or a Star then it's
probably faster to take the left side and drive against the movement for a
moment, otherwise try to stay on the right side, but closer to the middle (and
don't miss an item box either.) The final trick to help you get ahead in this
level comes just before the finish line. There are two vertical gears moving
in opposite directions. You have to discern which of the two is moving in the
same direction as you, and then hop onto that gear to get an extremely good
speed boost that will really get you ahead of the competition.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- MARIO CIRCUIT -------------------------------------------------- 0C.03 --+
The classic Mario Circuit returns. It may not be the same course, but the
theme is quite familiar, filled with all kinds of classic Mario dangers like
the Goombas and the Piranha Plants. Boost out of the starting line and try to
get in at least two Drift Boosts around this first corner. Watch out for the
large Goombas which occupy the track ahead of you here, they'll really get in
the way at times. After snagging an item from one of the boxes, try to Drift
Boost right, left and right again around the winding curve. Ahead of you here
are the first couple Piranha Plants for the level. Their fire breath can
knock you out if you happen to be hit by it, but there's less of a chance of
that occurring if you take the level's first (and only) shortcut.
After you approach the Piranha Plants keep an eye on the one on the right. To
the right of this Piranha Plant between the pipe and the wall is a sandy area
which serves as a great Shortcut if you've got a Mushroom or Star with you.
Drive over the sand to the right of the pipe and speed into the tunnel to
really get ahead of the competition. Coming out of the tunnel what you need
to do is start drifting to the left early, and shaking that D-Pad to get your
Drift Boost ready. There's a 180 degree turn coming up and if you can drift
around so you're almost facing backwards by the time the curve hits, and then
boost in the new direction it will really give you an advantage. As you drive
along the dirt road and approach the castle you'll reach the second set of
Piranha Flowers. It's not really much of a shortcut, but if you have a
Mushroom you can save a bit of time by boosting over the grass beside the
flowers. Just make sure you don't miss the item boxes. Drift early and do
the same thing I suggested before around this next 180 degree turn, and then
Drift Boost like mad around the final large right curve to the finish line.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- AIRSHIP FORTRESS ----------------------------------------------- 0C.04 --+
The Airship Fortress offers just as many dangers as you'd expect from
something called an Airship Fortress. Large flying bullets, mole-holes,
pillars of fire, and giant cannons are all par for this particular course.
When you start the race you'll be dropped off right away into some kind of
bullet range where a number of large bullets will be flying at you head-on.
Try to avoid drifting too much here and focus on just avoiding being hit by
them. Drift Boost around the corner to the left and grab an item before Drift
Boosting to the right. Launch yourself off the jump and prepare to dodge a
bunch of mole-holes around the next turn. They're harmless when they're under
the deck but the second one of them pops up they can knock you over and really
slow you down. When you get inside the actual ship itself start Drift
Boosting to the left so that you can drift around the corner and boost in the
opposite direction toward the item boxes at the bottom of the hill.
There are a few crates in this next room that are easy enough to avoid, but
it's the pillars of fire that will inevitably get in your way. Whether you
try through the middle or on one of the sides, it all depends on the timing
and you need to learn how to judge it well from a distance. Being hit by the
fire will only knock you out temporarily. Drift Boost around the next corner
and launch yourself through the cannon. If you're good and Drift Boosting
quickly then you can probably utilize this technique well around the sharp
turns here, otherwise you might actually save time simply by holding the drift
button and trying to stay as close to the inner wall as possible. Coming out
of the turret, Drift Boost right and then left again being careful of the
broken road and that you don't fall down it. The finish line comes soon after.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || || Nitro Grand Prix || || |
| || 0D.00 || --------- || 0D.00 || |
| || || Special Cup || || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+-- WARIO STADIUM -------------------------------------------------- 0D.01 --+
You might remember the original Wario Stadium from Mariokart 64. It's not the
same this time around but it's still full of fun surprises. You'll encounter
bumpy roads, sharp turns, fire death traps, and numerous obstacles on your way
to the finish line. Boost out of the starting line and start to Drift Boost
to your left. After coming out of the turn angle yourself so that you drive
straight through the next S-shaped turn rather than wasting time drifting
around both direction. Drift Boost left at the end of the "S" then launch
yourself off the Booster Pad and hit R before you go airborne to get some
extra distance. Drift Boost left again to reach the muddy area.
Hit every one of these Booster Pads and angle yourself toward the next one
while doing do. Press the R button to hop just before you launch off each one
to minimize the amount of time you have to spend in the mud. Drift Boost
around the next corner and get ready for another Booster Pad jump. This time
make absolutely sure you do NOT hop before you go airborne. It's set up so
that you'll be the perfect height to get through the ring just hitting the
jump. Aim well and you should also be able to snag one of the item boxes.
Same goes for the second one. Around the next corner is another fiery
obstacle, spinning flame "Y" shaped things. Avoiding them is easy as pie and
all depends on your timing. There are some item boxes between the first and
second one so make sure not to miss them. Around the next corner you'll come
to another Booster Pad jump. What you want to do is hit it at a perfectly
straight angle and jump before you go off. This way you should clear the
middle hump and land directly on the third Booster Pad. Jump going off that
one again to maintain maximum momentum. From here on out it's a couple of
bumpy hills and a final Booster Pad jump to the finish line, nothing tricky.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- PEACH GARDENS -------------------------------------------------- 0D.02 --+
Princess Toadstool's beautiful castle gardens will be the next course on your
list. You'll be driving through tall grass and flowers, around hedges and
even through a real (albeit extremely easy to navigate) hedge-maze. When the
race begins you're sent forward and you'll see an arrow directing you to the
left. You would be wise to follow its direction so Drift Boost around this
first corner to the left but be very careful as there is no wall on the edge
and it can be difficult to see exactly where that edge is. Coming out of the
corner pick up one of the item boxes and get ready for the level's primary
shortcut. There's an arrow up ahead pointing to the left, however if you have
either a Mushroom or Star use them and boost yourself to the right of this
arrow and down the path to the right to save a good amount of time.
At the top of the hill you can boost through the flowerbed on the right again,
or even go "around" it to the right. Both will probably save you a tiny bit
of time, the first one more so that the other. At the bottom of the hill is
the stage's hedge-maze. Basically it's just a bunch of hedge obstacles one
after another. Navigate between them left and right to reach the end with
little difficulty, however you should note that there are chomps bouncing
around in this area. You'll want to avoid them, but also get close in another
sense with the "chain" they drag behind them is actually comprised of item
boxes. At the top of the hill afterward either Drift Boost to the right or
use a Mushroom / Star to go through the garden if you have one. Drive down
the hill and go either left or right at the bottom, then immediately turn
again back toward the middle to save a bit of time rather than going around
the outside. The final danger of the level comes from the moles jumping up
and down around of their holes in this zig-zagging section that takes you to
the castle. Try to Drift Boost as much as you can here while avoiding the
moles. A final straight on the stone allows you to Drift Boost to the finish.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- BOWSER'S CASTLE ------------------------------------------------ 0D.03 --+
Bowser's Castle has always been a traditionally difficult course to navigate
and this game's incarnation is certainly no different. Drive forward into the
mouth of the keep and grab one of the item boxes while keeping an eye on the
stomping blocks above to make sure they're not about to come right done on
your head (or directly in front of you). You've got a few good corners for
Drift Boosting around to the right coming up. After crossing the bridge
you'll reach this stage's primary shortcut. There's a section of the course
where you have to drive around a circular conveyor belt moving in the opposite
direction you are. If you Drift Boost around this it's not too bad and you'll
find the exit around the middle of the wall. However, if you keep drifting
past the first exit and between a couple of fire pillars, you'll find a second
exit which takes you ahead on a perfectly straight path and circumvents the
little out-of-the-way you would have had to take if you exited earlier.
Avoid the stomping block up ahead and grab one of the items. Start by drifting
to the left and moving the D-Pad to prepare for a Drift Boost. You can try to
get them repeatedly here but I recommend just drifting to the end and saving
the boost for when you reach the straight again. Coming out of here there is
an interesting rolling "log" to drive across. This large cylinder will keep
spinning (and not always in the same direction) while you drive across it. If
you can manage to get to the other side then you can go straight down the
hill. If you fall then you have to find the exit and go up an oppositely
sloped longer hill. It's not a huge difference, but still better if you try
not to fall. After going over the Booster Pad jumps you'll land on some
moving platforms. Try to drive down the centre that way you'll see in the
area where the platforms are connected at least most of the time. Drift Boost
around the next couple of corners and before you know it you're at the finish.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- RAINBOW ROAD --------------------------------------------------- 0D.04 --+
Rainbow Road is the traditional difficult course in Mariokart. While things
have changed a little bit it does still remain the most twisting and turning
course with no walls on the sides for the most part. Start off at the
beginning going over all of the Booster Pads and Drift Boost around the
corner. There are a number of Booster Pads in this area however they are kind
of spread apart (and the same colour as the track) so look for the gold
outline and movement and drive toward those. The entire loop is just one big
Booster Pad so as long as you don't let go of the accelerator then you won't
have any problem making it around. Drift Boost around the next corner and
drop down to the track below. Pick up one of the item boxes ahead of you and
navigate the sharp "S" turn. After a lengthy turn to the right you've got
another twisting part of the track, but this time it's a corkscrew. It's not
really any different from the loop, just keep your finger on the A button.
With a couple more turns it's just smooth sailing to the finish line.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || || Retro Grand Prix || || |
| || 0E.00 || ------- || 0E.00 || |
| || || Shell Cup || || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+-- MARIO CIRCUIT 1 ------------------------------------------------ 0E.01 --+
The Retro Grand Prix offers 16 "new courses" in the form of classic tracks
upgraded (or downgraded) for play on the Ds. We start with the classic SNES
track, Mario Circuit 1. The basic nature of this course is evident by its
simplistic turns and lack of anything really noteworthy. After you Drift
Boost around the first turn you'll need to be careful of all the pipes on the
second turn, it can be difficult to drift in between them. The sole shortcut
in this level comes after the third turn. Ahead of you is a very long stretch
of sand while the road goes off to your left. If you have not one, but two
Mushrooms or a Star then you can get across this fairly easily and save a
decent amount of time. There's one final sharp turn before the finish.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- MOO MOO FARM --------------------------------------------------- 0E.02 --+
The Moo Moo Farm comes directly from the classic Mariokart 64 track of the
same name. Everything is still in tact right down to the fantasterrific
music. Blast from the starting line and get ready for a long source with many
many Drift Boosts. This course is so wide that you can practically Drift
Boost anywhere. Sure perhaps overdoing it would border on Snaking, but hell
that's up to you. Every time you come to a large turn make sure to Drift
Boost as many times as you can to get the full benefit of the speed boost.
The real danger is when you're drifting around the corner and one of those
stupid moles pops out of the ground and nails you. You'll be knocked out
momentarily but don't let that stop you. The course isn't very long and
you've got plenty of chances to get ahead. When in doubt keep Drift Boosting!
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- PEACH CIRCUIT -------------------------------------------------- 0E.03 --+
A simplistic course from the GBA rendition of Mariokart. Do a sharp drift
turn and Drift Boost around the first 180 degree turn to the left. Try to
stay on the inside of the winding "S" curves that follow after this.
Everything else is pretty straight forward, it's one of the easiest courses.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- LUIGI CIRCUIT -------------------------------------------------- 0E.04 --+
Now we've reached the Gamecube tracks which can be a lot of fun to navigate.
This track in particular features some nice large turns with Booster Pads, and
an interesting section of the track you drive going one way, and then the
other. Launch out of the starting gate and boost down the track. Try to
stay to the right but not too far, when you approach the turn you'll be
attacked by a chomp if you're too close to the right side. As you approach
this turn start to drift and wiggle the D-Pad to get a Drift Boost going. Aim
your direct toward the left side of the first Booster Pad. Hit it and keep
drifting around through every other pad, finally letting go of your own boost
after hitting each one of them and before hitting the final boost that
launches you back down onto the centre track again. At the opposite end
you'll find the exact same kind of turn once again. Use the exact same
drifting strategy as the other one to maximize your speed to the finish line.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || || Retro Grand Prix || || |
| || 0F.00 || -------- || 0F.00 || |
| || || Banana Cup || || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+-- DONUT PLAINS 1 ------------------------------------------------ 0F.01 ---+
Another familiar SNES track is the Donut Plains 1, filled with turns and
bridges and not much else. Let's begin out adventure into this track by
boosting out of the start and Drift Boosting right across the bridge. Around
the next corner is the level's first and only shortcut. Rather than turning
right again and going around the large "U" shaped turn, you can use a Mushroom
or Star to blast through the gap in the wall directly ahead of you. This is
by far the best way to get ahead in the level. After that you've got three
really big turns perfect for Drift Boosting to the finish line.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- FRAPPE SNOWLAND ----------------------------------------------- 0F.02 ---+
The 64 version's track in this cup is Frappe Snowland, a fun course filled
with all sorts of dangerous snowman obstacles. Also it's quite easy to drift
off the side on the corners here, so try to Drift Boost early to avoid sliding
too far. For the first few turns there is a usually a single snowman in your
way on each corner, you should be able to control your car well enough while
drifting to avoid them. As a side note, if you have any Mushrooms (or a Star)
they should be used to cut across the snow on some of these corners. Most of
them are about the same so you can be the judge of which corners are the best
to cut, but it will in fact save you some time. Carefully navigate the large
field of snowmen before the final stretch of track with walls on either side.
There are a couple of good chances for a Drift Boost in here, like the large
left turn for example. Lastly be careful not to fall off the edge of the
bridge as you approach the finish line, there are no walls on the side.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- BOWSER CASTLE 2 ----------------------------------------------- 0F.03 ---+
There are all sorts of crazy Booster Jumps populating this course, Booster
Pads, and sharp turns-a-plenty. Drift Boost to the right around the first
corner and try to say on the outer edge so that you can hit the Booster Pad
coming out of the drift on the left side. The next turn is another one that
goes around almost 180 degrees, great for drifting. Large whomp blocks will
start pounding the ground ahead of you as well. When you reach the area with
the boost jumps, avoid them here and use the Booster Pads on the side to save
time. Directly on your right when you come to the corner is another Booster
Pad, if you want to hit this you either have to drift really early or not at
all. Make a sharp right and nail the boost if possible. For the rest of the
course it's almost exclusively boost jumps. These jumps neither speed you or
much, nor slow you down. I imagine there might be a slight difference, but
it's barely noticeable. What is different however is hitting an actual
"Booster Pad" rather than the jump, that will speed you up and you'll find a
couple on the sides of the final stretch. There's one final corner for you to
Drift Boost around and then it's a bad dash from there to the finish.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- BABY PARK ----------------------------------------------------- 0F.04 ---+
Remember this course? The one so small that they had to increase the number
of laps from three to five. There is only one tactic for this entire course
and that's to use the Drift Boost around the corners as sharply as you
possibly can. Start drifting early and spin yourself so that you're facing in
the opposite direction before you reach the corner. Release the boost in the
new direction as close to the middle divider as you can for maximum speed.
Keep doing this over and over for each of the five laps to the finish.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || || Retro Grand Prix || || |
| || 0G.00 || ------ || 0G.00 || |
| || || Leaf Cup || || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+-- KOOPA BEACH 2 -------------------------------------------------- 0G.01 --+
The Koopa Beach is a track which takes place along a beach surrounding the
inner barrier. Between the beach and the barrier is some rough terrain
characterized by the green spots on it. The other thing you need to note is
that while you can drive through light blue water, dark blue water is deep and
will be considered an off-course if you fall into it. There on dangerous are
is around the first couple of turns where you must navigate between the
patches of deep water. Stick to the right and you'll find some item boxes.
Besides that's it's just one big Drift Boost around the edge of the beach.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- CHOCO MOUNTAIN ------------------------------------------------- 0G.02 --+
A winding track takes you up the chocolate mountain and around the perilous
curves, falling rocks, and watery death-pits. The trick in this course is to
Drift Boost constantly and quickly, without hitting the walls on the many
short and sharp turns. When you reach the long left turn with the falling
rocks, start drifting and drift around the entire thing, boosting only at the
end when you straighten yourself out. If you fall off the left side here you
want land off-course but rather on an earlier section of the track, so it's
actually worse considering you have to drive all the way back. My final tip
is that if you have a Mushroom )not so much a Star) to use it on the first of
three large hills before the finish line and try to hop when you go over it.
When any luck you'll totally clear at least one of them saving you time.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- LUIGI CIRCUIT -------------------------------------------------- 0G.03 --+
The Luigi Circuit is one of the GBA courses, and easily my least favourite
course in the game. There are many winding turns and it's not all that bad at
first glance, but the lack of anything particularly interesting combined with
those obnoxious water puddles all over the course designed to spin you out
make for a pretty unpleasant trip. At the least the music is funky, fun and
reminiscent of the floating city in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The
Manhattan Project. Least that's what it always reminds me of. Anyway, as
usual on simple courses like this, there aren't really any special shortcuts
so finding good places to utilize the Drift Boost is key to winning the race.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- MUSHROOM BRIDGE ------------------------------------------------ 0G.04 --+
This track comes from the Gamecube's Mariokart: Double Dash. For the most
part the traffic is moving in the same direction you are so unless you're
playing mirror mode you have only to avoid slow moving cars as you weave your
way in and out. After the first turn and once you've been through the tunnel,
the track's only shortcut becomes very apparent. Use a Mushroom or Star to
boost up the dirt hill on your right, and then hop to the right before the
edge to land back on course leading into the bridge. It's just a straight
path from here to the finish line, Drift Boost, but watch out for traffic.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || || Retro Grand Prix || || |
| || 0H.00 || ----------- || 0H.00 || |
| || || Lightning Cup || || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+-- CHOCO ISLAND 2 ------------------------------------------------- 0H.01 --+
The Choco Mountain track from the SNES version of the game is jam packed with
rough terrain and nasty Piranha Plants. The Piranha Plants are found mostly
on the inside edge of some of the sharper turns, so while drifting do yourself
a favour and slide out a little to avoid the plants. The bumps won't really
slow you down all that much, but you'll still go faster if you hop over them
instead. When you come to the large muddy area, try to drive toward the small
patches of normal ground in the middle. The less time spent driving through
the mud the better, and that way you'll also avoid the Piranha Plants. It's
almost impossible to Drift Boost around a corner with the small bumps but you
can try. If you can't manage to do it then just turn normal and try and hop
over them whenever possible. The finish line comes just after this turn.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- BANSHEE BOARDWALK ---------------------------------------------- 0H.02 --+
Opting against gradual curves and safe barriers on the sides, the ghost house
is full of hard angle bends complete with a free fall into the ghastly waters
at every turn. When you approach the ghost house you'll see a red arrow
painted on the wall, but there's actually a shortcut you can take here. Go
left instead of right and stick close to the left wall. The road ends and
drops off ahead of you, but just before it does if you jump left you can land
on safe ground and drive straight ahead to save some time. Drift Boost to the
right immediately to avoid all the bats flying directly at you. Coming out of
the haunted house it's no different than it was at the beginning of the race.
If you're good you can actually drift through a good two thirds of this last
section of the race and let loose a Drift Boost toward the finish line.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- SKY GARDEN ----------------------------------------------------- 0H.03 --+
This is one of the few courses in the Retro Cup which actually offers a decent
amount of shortcuts. Right at the beginning of the race when you go left, if
you've got a Mushroom you can boost over the jump at the beginning and then
hop across the clouds saving you some good time. After going around the next
corner you get that chance again. If you've got a Mushroom or a Star hit the
jump while angling yourself to the right so that you don't keep going over the
edge. If you don't have a Star hit the actual Booster Jump and get the item
in mid-air, but still angle yourself a bit to the right. After crossing the
bridge you'll turn left, and then make a big "U" turn to the right. After
coming out of this "U" turn look to your left and there's a cloud you can jump
across to circumvent the second bridge. Make a left on the other side and
drive off toward the finish. Combine all three shortcuts for record time.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- YOSHI CIRCUIT -------------------------------------------------- 0H.04 --+
The final course in the game is the Yoshi Circuit, a familiar track from the
Gamecube version. The track is wide and the turns are big, allowing you to
really let loose with the Drift Boosts. If you're got a Mushroom or Star with
you then you'll have the opportunity to take advantage of a great shortcut
almost right away. Turn right out of the starting gate and then left, but
don't turn again. Instead use a Mushroom to boost over the grass under the
arch when you're angled a little bit to the right, this will save an enormous
amount of time. It's really the course's only shortcut so for the rest of the
race you can use Mushrooms to cut corners a little closer if that's what you
want. Remember to drift like mad here, the course is designed for it.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || 0I.00 || Battle Mode || 0I.00 || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There isn't a lot I can say about Battle Mode that isn't already entirely
self-evident by just playing the mode itself. There are two ways to play.
The first is Balloon Battle which is the traditional battle. Each player has
three Balloons and will lose one whenever they are hit by an item, spun out,
etc. Last player with any Balloons remaining wins. Shine Runners is closer
to a more "capture the flag" style game where the winner is the person who
collects the most Shines either by finding them or stealing them from other
players. The arenas in Battle Mode are not the racing stages from the game
but rather special enclosed areas designed specifically for combat.
____________________________________________________________________________
|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || 0J.00 || Online Play || 0J.00 || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+-- INTRODUCTION --------------------------------------------------- 0J.01 --+
I must admit that I haven't had the chance to play online more than once or
twice, so forgive me if my familiarity with this subject seems somewhat
limited. I imagine that besides the people who are having trouble connecting,
most of the information they would be looking for is already found elsewhere
in the guide. The guide currently offers tips and shortcuts for each race,
and online play is nothing more than racing the game's normal tracks against
other players around the world (including your friends of course.) There are
a total of 20 tracks you can play when going online. I'll outline the basics
of how to get connected, and like I said, when it comes to actual tips for
playing the courses online, it's all found elsewhere in this guide.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- GETTING CONNECTED ---------------------------------------------- 0J.02 --+
In order to play online you must meet one of the following three conditions.
You must either have a compatible wireless router connected to the internet in
your home or office. If not then you must have the official Nintendo Wifi USB
connector thing which can be ordered online from Nintendo's website. If this
isn't an option then you can drive to one of the many wireless "Hotspots" in
both Canada and the United States and get online from there.
For those taking the router route, here is a list of compatible routers (as it
says on the site, not every router is listed here. If yours isn't then
there's still a good chance it works, they just haven't tested it yet.)
http://www.nintendowifi.com/consumerservice/routerSetup.do
If you're going the USB route, this is what you will need:
Information - http://ds.ign.com/articles/665/665128p1.html
Purchase ---- http://tinyurl.com/d8hh2
If you're going the Hotspot route, here a list of hotspots:
http://www.nintendowifi.com/hotspots/searchHotSpot.do
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- PLAYING ONLINE ------------------------------------------------- 0J.03 --+
There are two primary ways to play online, you can either search for players
randomly, or search for your friends. To search for anyone to play against
simply choose Nintendo WFC Match and select something like Regional, or
Worldwide. The rest happens automatically from there. If you want to play
against your friends then you'll have to enter their "Friend Code." Select
Friend Code and enter their Friend Code there. You can see your own in
"Confirm Friend Code" and then give that to people yourself. Once you have
entered a Friend Code, and that person has entered yours they will be
officially added to your list and you will be able to play online against them
in an online match. If you want to play multiplayer against someone in the
same room as you, just go to Multiplayer, you need not be online.
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- READ BEFORE YOU PLAY ONLINE ------------------------------------ 0J.04 --+
This is the typical "etiquette" section that everyone should read since most
of it relates specifically to Mariokart DS. First of all you have to remember
that "Snaking" as I described it earlier is a common technique to encounter
online, and if you don't like it there's absolutely NOTHING you can do about
it. Well that's not quite correct. You can learn to Snake, you can win the
match anyway through normal racing techniques and skillful item use, or you
can just... not even think about it. Remember that a hell of a lot of people
on there still don't bother with Snaking. If it really offends you then
simply wait till the match is over, and go find another game.
This brings us right into our next point, and the number one problem with
Mariokart DS online. It's not Snaking, it's disconnecting. I'm talking about
people who disconnect in the middle of a race when they realize they aren't
going to win so that they can maintain a better win/loss ratio. I don't even
know what to say to this besides suck it up. The win/loss thing isn't a big
deal at all, it doesn't matter what your ratio is, if you kick someone's ass
in a race it'll be just as good either way. Don't disconnect until the race
is over. I realize, and so do most, that some people's routers are perfect
and will disconnect periodically. Just avoid doing it intentionally.
That about covers it. There's even more stuff you can read if you check out
REX ROMANI's sticky topic on the GameFAQs Mariokart DS message board, linked
here. http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gentopic.php?board=920788 Hopefully
it's still there when you read this, but if not, at least the basics have been
covered. You should have no trouble getting online and having fun.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || 0K.00 || Unlockables || 0K.00 || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+-- Unlockables ---------------------------------------------------- 0K.01 --+
Check the Codes & Secrets section on GameFAQs for recent updated list.
____________________________________________________________________________
|+======================++==================================================+|
|| UNLOCKABLE || UNLOCKED BY ||
||======================||==================================================||
|| Star Cup || Win gold on Mushroom Cup and Flower Cup ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| Special Cup || Win gold on Star Cup ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| Leaf Cup || Win gold on Shell Cup and Banana Cup ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| Lightning Cup || Win gold on Leaf Cup ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| Mirror Mode || Win gold on every Retro Grand Prix 150cc ||
||______________________||__________________________________________________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
____________________________________________________________________________
|+======================++==================================================+|
|| UNLOCKABLE || UNLOCKED BY ||
||======================||==================================================||
|| Dry Bones || Win gold on every Nitro Grand Prix 50cc ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| Daisy || Win gold on every Retro Grand Prix 50cc ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| Waluigi || Win gold on every Retro Grand Prix 100cc ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| R.O.B. || Win gold on every Retro 150cc Mirror Mode ||
||______________________||__________________________________________________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
______________________________________________________________________________
+-- STAFF GHOSTS --------------------------------------------------- 0K.02 --+
Staff Ghosts are special ghosts that can be unlocked in Time Trial mode by
getting good times on each course. Similar to F-Zero GX, staff ghosts are the
ghost data of the game's developers who can obviously play the game quite
well, so beaing able to beat even one (if not all) of the Staff Ghosts is
quite a feat. To unlock them you must do so one at a time. Race a course in
time trial mode and if you come within about five to seven seconds of the
actual Staff Ghost time (times are listed in the chart below) then that
particualr ghost is unlocked and you can race against it in Time Trial.
____________________________________________________________________________
|+========================++==========++========================++==========+|
|| MUSHROOM CUP || TIME || FLOWER CUP || TIME ||
||========================||==========||========================||==========||
|| FIGURE-8 CIRCUIT || 1:36:481 || DESERT HILLS || 1:31:262 ||
||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------||
|| YOSHI FALLS || 0:57:677 || DEFINO SQUARE || 1:54:601 ||
||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------||
|| CHEEP CHEEP BEACH || 1:43:654 || WALUIGI PINBALL || 2:23:288 ||
||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------||
|| LUIGI'S MANSION || 1:59:357 || SHROOM RIDGE || 2:05:123 ||
||________________________||__________||________________________||__________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
____________________________________________________________________________
|+========================++==========++========================++==========+|
|| STAR CUP || TIME || SPECIAL CUP || TIME ||
||========================||==========||========================||==========||
|| DK Pass || 2:14:607 || Wario Stadium || 2:14:868 ||
||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------||
|| Tick-Tock Clock || 1:54:903 || Peach Gardens || 1:52:989 ||
||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------||
|| Mario Circuit || 1:56:553 || Bowser Castle || 2:19:661 ||
||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------||
|| Airship Fortress || 2:07:748 || Rainbow Road || 2:16:246 ||
||________________________||__________||________________________||__________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
____________________________________________________________________________
|+========================++==========++========================++==========+|
|| SHELL CUP || TIME || BANANA CUP || TIME ||
||========================||==========||========================||==========||
|| Mario Circuit 1 || 0:50:688 || Donut Plains 1 || 1:08:027 ||
||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------||
|| Moo Moo Farm || 1:17:751 || Frappe Snowland || 2:08:781 ||
||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------||
|| Peach Circuit || 1:12:011 || Bowser Castle 2 || 1:52:258 ||
||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------||
|| Luigi Circuit || 1:29:759 || Baby Park || 0:50:920 ||
||________________________||__________||________________________||__________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
____________________________________________________________________________
|+========================++==========++========================++==========+|
|| LEAF CUP || TIME || LIGHTNING CUP || TIME ||
||========================||==========||========================||==========||
|| Koopa Beach 2 || 0:54:847 || Choco Island 2 || 1:01:620 ||
||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------||
|| Choco Mountain || 2:15:571 || Banshee Boardwalk || 2:14:403 ||
||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------||
|| Luigi Circuit || 1:46:581 || Sky Garden || 1:44:400 ||
||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------||
|| Mushroom Bridge || 1:30:600 || Yoshi Circuit || 1:48:793 ||
||________________________||__________||________________________||__________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || 09.00 || Kart Statistics || 09.00 || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+============================================================================+
| MARIO 09.A0 |
+============================================================================+
+-- B BASHER ----------------------------------------------------------------+
_____________________________
SPEED -------------------/____________________________/_______
ACCELERATION ------------/___________________________________/_
WEIGHT ------------------/____________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/_________________________/_
DRIFT -------------------/__________________________/_________________________
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________________________/
+-- STANDARD MR -------------------------------------------------------------+
________________________________
SPEED -------------------/_______________________________/____
ACCELERATION ------------/___________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/_______________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/____________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/____________________________/_____
ITEMS -------------------/_________________________________/
+-- SHOOTING STAR -----------------------------------------------------------+
____________________________________
SPEED -------------------/___________________________________/____
ACCELERATION ------------/_______________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/________________________/________
HANDLING ----------------/________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/_______________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/_________________/
+============================================================================+
| LUIGI 09.B0 |
+============================================================================+
+-- POLTERGEIST 4000 --------------------------------------------------------+
_______________________________________
SPEED -------------------/______________________________________/_
ACCELERATION ------------/_______________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/________________________/_______________
HANDLING ----------------/_______________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/__________________/
ITEMS -------------------/__________________/
+-- STANDARD LG -------------------------------------------------------------+
______________________________________
SPEED -------------------/_____________________________________/_
ACCELERATION ------------/______________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/_________________________________/____
HANDLING ----------------/_____________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/_________________/________________
ITEMS -------------------/_________________________________/
+-- STREAMLINER -------------------------------------------------------------+
___________________________________
SPEED -------------------/__________________________________/__
ACCELERATION ------------/____________________________________/__
WEIGHT ------------------/______________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/___________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/_______________/____________________________________
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________________________/
+============================================================================+
| PEACH 09.C0 |
+============================================================================+
+-- ROYALE ------------------------------------------------------------------+
_____________________
SPEED -------------------/____________________/_______________
ACCELERATION ------------/___________________________________/____
WEIGHT ------------------/_______________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/_____________________/__________________________
DRIFT -------------------/_______________________________________________/____
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________________________/
+-- STANDARD PC -------------------------------------------------------------+
_______________________
SPEED -------------------/______________________/________________
ACCELERATION ------------/______________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/_________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/________________________/_________________________
DRIFT -------------------/_________________________________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________/
+-- LIGHT TRIPPER -----------------------------------------------------------+
__________________________
SPEED -------------------/_________________________/_____________
ACCELERATION ------------/______________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/__________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/_________________________/__________________________
DRIFT -------------------/___________________________________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/__________________/
+============================================================================+
| YOSHI 09.D0 |
+============================================================================+
+-- EGG 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------+
_______________________________
SPEED -------------------/______________________________/________________
ACCELERATION ------------/______________________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/_______________________/______________________
HANDLING ----------------/_____________________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/____________________/
ITEMS -------------------/________________/
+-- STANDARD YS -------------------------------------------------------------+
_____________________________
SPEED -------------------/____________________________/__________________
ACCELERATION ------------/______________________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/__________________________________/________
HANDLING ----------------/__________________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/____________________/______________
ITEMS -------------------/__________________________________/
+-- CUCUMBER ----------------------------------------------------------------+
_________________________
SPEED -------------------/________________________/____________________
ACCELERATION ------------/____________________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/___________________________________/______
HANDLING ----------------/_________________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/__________________/_________________________________
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________________________/
+============================================================================+
| TOAD 09.E0 |
+============================================================================+
+-- MUSHMELLOW --------------------------------------------------------------+
_______________________
SPEED -------------------/______________________/______________________
ACCELERATION ------------/____________________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/________________________/____________
HANDLING ----------------/____________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/____________________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/_________________/
+-- STANDARD TD -------------------------------------------------------------+
_____________________
SPEED -------------------/____________________/_______________________
ACCELERATION ------------/___________________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/__________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/__________________________________/_
DRIFT -------------------/___________________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________/
+-- 4-WHEEL CRADLE-----------------------------------------------------------+
___________________
SPEED -------------------/__________________/_________________________
ACCELERATION ------------/___________________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/_______________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/________________________________/_
DRIFT -------------------/_________________________________/__________________
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________________________/
+============================================================================+
| DONKEY KONG 09.F0 |
+============================================================================+
+-- RAMBI RACER -------------------------------------------------------------+
________________________________________
SPEED -------------------/_______________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/______________________/____________________
WEIGHT ------------------/__________________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/_______________/_______________________
DRIFT -------------------/______________________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/____________________________________________________
+-- STANDARD DK -------------------------------------------------------------+
__________________________________________
SPEED -------------------/_________________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/_______________________/________
WEIGHT ------------------/_______________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/________________/_______________________
DRIFT -------------------/_______________________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/__________________________________/
+-- WILDLIFE ----------------------------------------------------------------+
____________________________________________
SPEED -------------------/___________________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/_________________________/___
WEIGHT ------------------/____________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/____________________/______________________
DRIFT -------------------/__________________________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/________________/
+============================================================================+
| WARIO 09.G0 |
+============================================================================+
+-- BRUTE -------------------------------------------------------------------+
________________________________________________
SPEED -------------------/_______________________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/__________________________/________
WEIGHT ------------------/__________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/_________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/_________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/_________________/
+-- STANDARD WR -------------------------------------------------------------+
______________________________________________
SPEED -------------------/_____________________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/_________________________/_________
WEIGHT ------------------/__________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/________________________/__________
ITEMS -------------------/__________________________________/
+-- DRAGONFLY ---------------------------------------------------------------+
__________________________________________
SPEED -------------------/_________________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/_______________________/_________________
WEIGHT ------------------/________________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/______________________/
DRIFT -------------------/______________________/_____________________________
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________________________/
+============================================================================+
| BOWSER 09.H0 |
+============================================================================+
+-- TYRANT ------------------------------------------------------------------+
________________________________________________
SPEED -------------------/_______________________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/__________/_________________________________________
WEIGHT ------------------/___________________________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/__________/_______________
DRIFT -------------------/_________________________/__________________________
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________________________/
+-- STANDARD BW -------------------------------------------------------------+
___________________________________________________
SPEED -------------------/__________________________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/____________/__________________________
WEIGHT ------------------/______________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/____________/_______________
DRIFT -------------------/___________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________/
+-- HURRICANE ---------------------------------------------------------------+
____________________________________________________
SPEED -------------------/___________________________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/__________/______________________________
WEIGHT ------------------/________________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/______________/_______________
DRIFT -------------------/_____________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/______________/
+============================================================================+
| DRY BONES 09.I0 |
+============================================================================+
+-- BANISHER ------------------------------------------------------------- --+
_____________
SPEED -------------------/____________/____________________________________
ACCELERATION ------------/________________________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/___________________________________/___________
HANDLING ----------------/______________________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/______________________/_____________________________
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________________________/
+-- STANDARD DB -------------------------------------------------------------+
________________
SPEED -------------------/_______________/__________________________________
ACCELERATION ------------/_________________________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/__________________________________/______________
HANDLING ----------------/________________________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/________________________/___________
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________/
+-- DRY BOMBER --------------------------------------------------------------+
__________________
SPEED -------------------/_________________/__________________________________
ACCELERATION ------------/___________________________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/______________________________/_____________________
HANDLING ----------------/___________________________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/_______________/
+============================================================================+
| DAISY 09.J0 |
+============================================================================+
+-- POWER FLOWER ------------------------------------------------------------+
_______________________________
SPEED -------------------/______________________________/_
ACCELERATION ------------/_______________________________/__
WEIGHT ------------------/_________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/_________________/__________________________
DRIFT -------------------/___________________________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/____________________________________________________
+-- STANDARD DS -------------------------------------------------------------+
__________________________________
SPEED -------------------/_________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/_________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/_______________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/____________________/__________________________
DRIFT -------------------/______________________________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/__________________________________/
+-- LIGHT DANCER-------------------------------------------------------------+
___________________________________
SPEED -------------------/__________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/__________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/__________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/______________________/________________________
DRIFT -------------------/______________________________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/_________________/
+============================================================================+
| WALUIGI 09.K0 |
+============================================================================+
+-- GOLD MANTIS -------------------------------------------------------------+
_______________________________________
SPEED -------------------/______________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/__________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/_______________________________/
ITEMS -------------------/_________________/
+-- STANDARD WL -------------------------------------------------------------+
_____________________________________
SPEED -------------------/____________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/_________________________________/
WEIGHT ------------------/_________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/____________________________/_
DRIFT -------------------/_____________________________/_____
ITEMS -------------------/__________________________________/
+-- ZIPPER ------------------------------------------------------------------+
__________________________________
SPEED -------------------/_________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/_______________________________/___
WEIGHT ------------------/__________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/__________________________/__
DRIFT -------------------/____________________________/_______________________
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________________________/
+============================================================================+
| R.O.B. 09.L0 |
+============================================================================+
+-- ROB-BLS -----------------------------------------------------------------+
____________________________________________________
SPEED -------------------/___________________________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/____________________________/_
WEIGHT ------------------/_____________________________/_______
HANDLING ----------------/____________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/______________/__
ITEMS -------------------/________________/
+-- STANDARD RB -------------------------------------------------------------+
_________________________________________________
SPEED -------------------/________________________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/___________________________/_______
WEIGHT ------------------/__________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/__________________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/_____________/______________________
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________/
+-- ROB-LGS -----------------------------------------------------------------+
________________________________________________
SPEED -------------------/_______________________________________________/
ACCELERATION ------------/________________________/___________
WEIGHT ------------------/___________________________________/
HANDLING ----------------/_______________________________/
DRIFT -------------------/____________/_______________________________________
ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________________________/
____________________________________________________________________________
|~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~|
| || 0M.00 || Mission Mode || 0M.00 || |
|_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
____________________________________________________________________________
|+----------------------++--------------------------------------------------+|
|| MISSION 1-1 [0M.11] || Drive through all 5 numbered gates in order! ||
|| || Drive Mario straight under the arches of all ||
|| || five gates. There is in ascending order ||
|| || straight ahead of you. Mushrooms are placed ||
|| || periodically all over the track to give you ||
|| || speed boosts. Use them to increase your overall ||
|| || rating. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 1-2 [0M.12] || Collect all 15 coins! The coins are positioned ||
|| || in a fairly straight line. Launch from the ||
|| || start and collect the ones in front of you. If ||
|| || you don't want to miss any then you'll have to ||
|| || make a pretty sharp turn to the left. For the ||
|| || rest of the trip you should be able to collect ||
|| || everything with the need for drifting. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 1-3 [0M.13] || Destroy all ten item boxes! Boost from the ||
|| || starting line and hit the first box. Use the ||
|| || Mushroom and keep going straight to the second ||
|| || one, then boost to the right a little for the ||
|| || third one, boost up the hill and to the left for ||
|| || the fourth one. Keep going straight for the ||
|| || fifth item box, stick to the middle for the ||
|| || sixth item box, move to the left lane for the ||
|| || seventh item box and stay in the left lane using ||
|| || all the Mushrooms and Booster Pads for the ||
|| || eighth, ninth and tenth item boxes. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 1-4 [0M.14] || Get the Star and use it to hit 5 Cheep Cheeps! ||
|| || Every single item box in this area has a Star in ||
|| || it. Cheep Cheep is the name for the fishes that ||
|| || are bouncing around, you can destroy them if you ||
|| || run into them with a Star. Hit an item box and ||
|| || use the Star then move around the map ramming ||
|| || into them at a mid-range speed so that if you ||
|| || miss, you can stop and wait for them to bounce ||
|| || back. Hit all five of them to complete the ||
|| || mission. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 1-5 [0M.15] || Drive through the six numbered gates in order! ||
|| || Boost off from the start and go through the ||
|| || first gate, then drift left to hit the second ||
|| || gate at the top of the DS. Keep moving left, ||
|| || then next gate is on the edge and the fourth ||
|| || gate is in a straight line directly past that ||
|| || one. You have to drift hard to the left in ||
|| || order to avoid dropping off the edge after the ||
|| || fourth. Go through the fifth gate and drift ||
|| || left again to hit the sixth and final. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 1-6 [0M.16] || Drive out of the mansion... backward! This one ||
|| || is pretty simple, if you're not going for ||
|| || ranking then it's extremely difficult to fail. ||
|| || Hold the B button the whole time as you drive ||
|| || through the mansion in the correct direction, ||
|| || but with your character facing backward. As ||
|| || long as you remember that the turns are reversed ||
|| || then you should be able to make it out in time ||
|| || just fine. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 1-7 [0M.17] || Collect all 20 coins! Boost right out of the ||
|| || starting gate and you'll hit an item box with ||
|| || three Mushrooms inside of it. Use all three ||
|| || Mushrooms right away since the coins are in a ||
|| || straight line it'll save time. Get the coins ||
|| || around the corner to the right and watch out for ||
|| || moles. The next string of coins is the last. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 1-8 [0M.18] || Perform 4 power-slide turbo boosts in 1 lap! ||
|| || This one isn't too difficult since (not counting ||
|| || the very first turn) there are a total of four ||
|| || turns to use the Drift Boost on. The left turn ||
|| || at all the pipes, the left turn which follows ||
|| || it, the right turn after that, and the final ||
|| || left turn that takes you back to the finish ||
|| || line. Use a Drift Boost on every one of them to ||
|| || complete this mission. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| BOSS STAGE [0M.19] || Use Mushrooms to crash into the Big Bully and ||
|| || knock him off the stage! This "boss battle" is ||
|| || extremely easy. Boost right from the start to ||
|| || knock the bully back and allow yourself to get ||
|| || the item box in the middle. After the Big Bully ||
|| || chares in some direction, turn around and follow ||
|| || him. Use the Mushrooms to boost into him two or ||
|| || three times and knock him into the water. ||
||______________________||__________________________________________________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
____________________________________________________________________________
|+----------------------++--------------------------------------------------+|
|| MISSION 2-1 [0M.21] || Crash into all 10 wooden crates and destroy ||
|| || every one! All you have to do is drive into ||
|| || every crate and break them before the time limit ||
|| || runs out. The first one is directly in front of ||
|| || you. The second is just on the left, and the ||
|| || third on the right. Ahead of that there is a ||
|| || box just before the water. After hitting that ||
|| || one drive down the dock and hit the one at the ||
|| || end, then the sixth one on the way back. Turn ||
|| || around at the top and hit the three boxes in a ||
|| || row. The last one is located across the bridge. ||
|| || Turn right and go off-course to locate the tenth ||
|| || crate. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 2-2 [0M.22] || Collect all 10 coins! This one is a little bit ||
|| || tricky for one reason. When the mission begins ||
|| || hold the B button rather than the accelerator to ||
|| || go into reverse. Keep reversing until you hear ||
|| || the sound of a coin, they hid one behind the ||
|| || finish line at the start. After that you can ||
|| || simply drive forward and get the other nine ||
|| || right in the middle of the track. Doing it this ||
|| || way should make it easy to get a three star ||
|| || ranking. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 2-3 [0M.23] || Drive through all 5 numbered gates in order! ||
|| || The first gate is quite simply, it's just in the ||
|| || middle of the track. There's a trick for the ||
|| || second gate. It's hidden in the middle of the ||
|| || shortcut, but lucky for you there is a Mushroom ||
|| || just before it which will allow you to speed ||
|| || through the gate and avoid being slowed by the ||
|| || grass. There are also Mushrooms in front of ||
|| || gates four and five just to help you get a ||
|| || better ranking if you need them. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 2-4 [0M.24] || Destroy all 5 item boxes! This is a fun mission ||
|| || where you must chase down a moving row of five ||
|| || item boxes. Use Drift Boost turns in order to ||
|| || help you catch the first one. After you nab it ||
|| || you'll get a Mushroom. Use the Mushroom to help ||
|| || you catch up with the next one, and the one ||
|| || after that over and over until you hit the one ||
|| || at the front and complete the mission. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 2-5 [0M.25] || Collect all 20 coins! Nothing too special at ||
|| || all about this mission, no hidden coins behind ||
|| || the starting line or anything. You can try ||
|| || drifting around the large curve to the right to ||
|| || save time, however it's difficult to get all the ||
|| || coins that way. The most important thing you ||
|| || need to do for this mission is to hit the jump ||
|| || in the dead centre moving completely straight. ||
|| || Also avoid hitting the hop button when going off ||
|| || of it otherwise you'll miss the coin in mid-air. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 2-6 [0M.26] || Use Bomb-ombs to destroy all 5 Pokeys! The ||
|| || trick to doing this one well (and quickly) is to ||
|| || actually take your time with it. At no point ||
|| || should you be throwing the bombs, always drop ||
|| || them beside the Pokeys by holding down on the ||
|| || D-Pad to set them behind you as you drive by. ||
|| || Grab item boxes and drop bombs beside each of ||
|| || the five Pokeys to complete the mission. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 2-7 [0M.27] || Drive through all 10 numbered gates in order! ||
|| || This mission can get really annoying really ||
|| || quickly because you're presented with multiple ||
|| || gates but only one of them being the correct ||
|| || one. Here's how to do it properly. Boost out ||
|| || from the starting line and through the first ||
|| || gate. Ignore the next gate you see, that's ||
|| || number eight. Soon you'll see two gates, take ||
|| || the one on the left and then the one on the ||
|| || right at the next two and then gate number four ||
|| || immediately after. When you come to the Booster ||
|| || Pads you can save time by drifting through them ||
|| || but do your best to stay in the middle where ||
|| || you'll pass through gate number five. On the ||
|| || way back it's a lot easier because the red gates ||
|| || are the ones you've already gone through, so ||
|| || don't go through them. Also make sure you pass ||
|| || through gate number eight near the beginning ||
|| || that you skipped the first time. Number nine ||
|| || comes just before the second wave of Booster ||
|| || Pads. Gate number ten is actually located on ||
|| || the area to the right of all the Boosters, the ||
|| || path above them. You should be able to see it ||
|| || if you look at your map. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 2-8 [0M.28] || Perform six power-slide turbo boosts in 3 laps! ||
|| || Since there are two turns in this course and ||
|| || three laps that means doing a Drift Boost turn ||
|| || on every single corner throughout the entire ||
|| || race. It's easier than it sounds however, try ||
|| || to cut the corner as close as you can and ||
|| || inevitably you'll get a higher ranking with less ||
|| || time. Each item box in this level contains a ||
|| || star which will speed you up. Helps primarily ||
|| || with ranking but just remember to Drift Boost on ||
|| || every single turn. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| BOSS STAGE [0M.29] || Fighting this boss can be pretty fun, but it's ||
|| || by no means easy. You might recognize this boss ||
|| || (as you may have with the one from the last ||
|| || mission) as a boss from Super Mario 64. The ||
|| || eyes on the palms of his hands open periodically ||
|| || and when they do, it's your responsibility to ||
|| || hit them with a Green Shell. Every item box in ||
|| || this area has a Green Shell inside so there's ||
|| || no worries there. The difficulty comes in ||
|| || actually aiming and timing your shots to hit the ||
|| || palm while the eyes are open and not closed. ||
|| || You also have to make sure you hit right in the ||
|| || centre. The battle gets a little bit more ||
|| || difficult with each hit. For the third hit the ||
|| || palms will be moving up and down as well as left ||
|| || and right, the window for a perfect shot is not ||
|| || very big so take it when you get it. ||
||______________________||__________________________________________________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
____________________________________________________________________________
|+----------------------++--------------------------------------------------+|
|| MISSION 3-1 [0M.31] || Destroy all 5 item boxes! This is a good one. ||
|| || You're stuck in the pinball machine with five ||
|| || item boxes flying around randomly. Make your ||
|| || way around and around again trying to track each ||
|| || one down and catch them. Your best tool for the ||
|| || job besides what you can see in front of you is ||
|| || the map on the touch screen, it will always show ||
|| || you the location of any remaining boxes. Also ||
|| || note that you can bounce off each of the ||
|| || obstacles in the middle for a boost of speed in ||
|| || the opposite direction. It's not all that ||
|| || helpful but perhaps you might get lucky and ||
|| || bounce right into one of them. Also here's a ||
|| || special trick that helped me get a three star ||
|| || ranking on this map. Try playing the entire ||
|| || thing without even looking at the main screen at ||
|| || all. Pretend you're driving around the little ||
|| || it gets done a lot faster that way and you don't ||
|| || even need to use any Stars (but you an if you ||
|| || want). ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 3-2 [0M.32] || Drive through all 5 numbered gates in order... ||
|| || backward! Another pretty simplistic level, as ||
|| || long as you don't have any problem controlling ||
|| || your kart while moving backward them you ||
|| || shouldn't have any problem with this particular ||
|| || mission. Everything is pretty straightforward ||
|| || and there are no hidden gates. You'll be going ||
|| || straight at the first fork and left at the ||
|| || second. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 3-3 [0M.33] || Collect all 15 coins while avoiding the Chain ||
|| || Chomp! Boost right off the bat at the ||
|| || beginning. The trick to avoid being hit by the ||
|| || Chain Chomp is to maintain a good speed the ||
|| || whole time. It's not too difficult to get a ||
|| || three star ranking even without drifting. Since ||
|| || the turns are kind of sharp, tap the accelerator ||
|| || rather than holding it down to modulate your ||
|| || speed around the corners. Being hit by the ||
|| || Chain Chomp won't make you fail, but it will ||
|| || knock at least five coins out of you. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 3-4 [0M.34] || Reach the finish before Yoshi! This mission is ||
|| || painfully easy, all you have to do is get to the ||
|| || finish line first in a normal race, and your ||
|| || opponent doesn't even play all that well. The ||
|| || only difference between this track and the ||
|| || normal one is that it forces you to go in a ||
|| || certain direction. t the first branch the left ||
|| || path is blocked off so you'll have to drive over ||
|| || the waterfall. Aim for the furthest left item ||
|| || box and get it as you drive through the water. ||
|| || The only two items you can get here are three ||
|| || Mushrooms and a Star, both of which give you a ||
|| || huge advantage. If you're behind and get the ||
|| || Star make sure to cream Yoshi rather than just ||
|| || passing him. You have to go right again at the ||
|| || next branch and lastly, you're forced to go left ||
|| || at the final one. Make sure to hit all of the ||
|| || Booster Pads and you can't possibly lose. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 3-5 [0M.35] || Drive through all 8 numbered gates in order! ||
|| || This one can really get on your nerves if you ||
|| || don't know what you're doing, make sure to ||
|| || follow these instructions carefully. The gates ||
|| || are numbered and positioned crazily, but the is ||
|| || a method to the madness. Begin the race with ||
|| || the rocket boost and go through the first gate, ||
|| || but navigate around the one right behind it ||
|| || since that's gate number five. Get back in line ||
|| || again after the gate and go right through the ||
|| || tube. You'll pop out and pass through gate ||
|| || number two automatically. Turn right at the ||
|| || turn and go through gate three, then right again ||
|| || through gate four. Proceed into the tube ||
|| || straight ahead of you and you'll pop out through ||
|| || gate five. To get a three star ranking on this ||
|| || level, the following tactic works although it's ||
|| || difficult. After popping out of the first tube ||
|| || and going through gate number two, drift right ||
|| || and drift through gate number three, still ||
|| || drifting before going straight again into gate ||
|| || number four. A boost here is difficult and not ||
|| || necessary. After going through the tube again go ||
|| || left a bit and Drift Boost to the right. Drift ||
|| || through gate six and boost up the ramp through ||
|| || seven and down into eight. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 3-6 [0M.36] || Hit Monty Moles with shells 5 times! This one ||
|| || can be frustrating, but it's easy with a bit of ||
|| || practice. There are a couple of ways of doing ||
|| || this, one will be able to get you a three star ||
|| || ranking while the other is for people who have ||
|| || trouble beating the stage at all. The main way ||
|| || you should try to do it is as follows: Set ||
|| || yourself up on an angle so that in a straight ||
|| || line ahead of you is an item box, and straight ||
|| || ahead of that without turning is a mole hole. ||
|| || There won't be much turning here. What you want ||
|| || to do is get the Green Shell from the box then ||
|| || drive forward until you almost reach the mole ||
|| || hole. Fire the shell and then reverse to hit ||
|| || the item box again (since you haven't turned ||
|| || it's easy) and then go straight forward to ||
|| || repeat the process. Hold the L trigger to drag ||
|| || the shell behind you and let go of it when the ||
|| || mole has fallen about half way down on his ||
|| || descent back into the hole. In other words, he ||
|| || jumps up, fire the shell as he falls back down ||
|| || to hit him. With practice your timing will ||
|| || improve. The other way which definitely won't ||
|| || get a good ranking, but might works is as ||
|| || follows: Stop on one of the item boxes so that ||
|| || it respawns on you and you get the item every ||
|| || time. Angle yourself almost completely sideways ||
|| || but not quite, just a tiny bit toward the mole ||
|| || holes. Start firing shells on this extreme ||
|| || angle so that bounce back and forth over and ||
|| || over again gradually toward the mole holes. ||
|| || Just fire shell after shell after shell. In ||
|| || time five are bound to hit moles eventually. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 3-7 [0M.37] || Perform 10 power-slide turbo boosts in 1 lap! ||
|| || This one is easy since the lap is fairly long. ||
|| || Just make sure to do multiple Drift Boosts ||
|| || on the long turns and you'll probably have all ||
|| || ten long before the lap is even over. The only ||
|| || thing you really need to be careful of here is ||
|| || traffic. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 3-8 [0M.38] || Collect all 20 coins! This one can be obnoxious ||
|| || simply because of all the blocked paths. Listen ||
|| || carefully and you'll do fine. Boost forward and ||
|| || get coin number one, then number two from the ||
|| || next room. Turn left and go outside, then right ||
|| || to get coin three and right again to get coin ||
|| || four. Do a 180 degree turn and go straight to ||
|| || the outside again. Turn right for coin number ||
|| || five and right again for number six. Left for ||
|| || number seven, left to get outside and right for ||
|| || number eight. Right at the corner and straight ||
|| || ahead behind the Banana for number nine. Turn ||
|| || right for number ten and on the other side of ||
|| || the barrier is number eleven. Back outside ||
|| || again get the coin beside the Bananas and the ||
|| || one behind it for twelve and thirteen. Turn ||
|| || right at the corner and all the rest of the ||
|| || coins will lead you around in a circle to the ||
|| || end. This is probably the first actual ||
|| || difficult mission, meaning it's not easy to ||
|| || complete in the time limit, let alone get a good ||
|| || ranking. Considering this coin-by-coin guide ||
|| || probably isn't too helpful compared to the map ||
|| || and memorization, the best tip I can give is ||
|| || that unlike pretty much everything else in the ||
|| || game, you might actually get more use and help ||
|| || out of the brake button rather than the drift ||
|| || button here. A lot of sharp turns are required. ||
|| || Also remember that while holding both brake and ||
|| || accelerate simultaneously, you can spin around ||
|| || quickly on the spot. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| BOSS STAGE [0M.39] || Reach the finish before Goomboss! This one can ||
|| || actually get quite difficult, you need to have a ||
|| || sharp eye if you're going to succeed here. ||
|| || You're facing off against the evil Goomboss, not ||
|| || a familiar face from Super Mario 64, but from ||
|| || Super Mario 64 DS. He runs around the track ||
|| || stopping every now and then to throw a Goomba ||
|| || behind you which will act as an obstacle if you ||
|| || hit it. After every lap he will stop for a ||
|| || second to get even bigger and throw even more ||
|| || Goombas. There are two tricks to beating this ||
|| || boss. The first isn't really a trick, just ||
|| || being able to cut the corners close as you Drift ||
|| || Boost around them. The second trick is having a ||
|| || good enough eye to realize that he's not only ||
|| || throwing Goombas, but Mushrooms as well. If you ||
|| || can differentiate between them you can ||
|| || intentionally hit those Mushrooms to get an ||
|| || important speed boost which will go a long way ||
|| || toward helping you win. Don't worry too much if ||
|| || you miss one, it should still be there on the ||
|| || next lap around. ||
||______________________||__________________________________________________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
____________________________________________________________________________
|+----------------------++--------------------------------------------------+|
|| MISSION 4-1 [0M.41] || Reach the finish before Donkey Kong! The actual ||
|| || race itself is easy, but you'd be surprised how ||
|| || hard this course is. If you don't recognize it ||
|| || now, you probably will soon. You're actually ||
|| || playing the "Mirror Mode" version of a normal ||
|| || track (which basically means driving it ||
|| || backward.) Everything gets harder going uphill, ||
|| || snowballs coming at you, turns being sharper ||
|| || than you remember them. Fortunately you still ||
|| || have an advantage, the two shortcuts across the ||
|| || snow still work, and the most common items to ||
|| || get here are three Mushrooms and a Star, both of ||
|| || which help you get across shortcuts. You might ||
|| || need to slow down on the second one however, it ||
|| || gets a bit treacherous. Get to the finish line ||
|| || as fast as you can and leave Donkey in the dust. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 4-2 [0M.42] || Blast 20 crabs! You've got crabs, and the only ||
|| || prescription is a daily dose of Green Shells and ||
|| || Bomb-ombs. I must point out once again that ||
|| || this mission is painfully easy. Move forward ||
|| || slowly and get an item. If you get three Green ||
|| || Shells press the button to make them surround ||
|| || you and get another item before going crab ||
|| || hunting. Don't even try to fire the three ||
|| || shells, just drive into crabs while they're ||
|| || spinning for an easy kill. If you get the Bomb- ||
|| || omb then just drop it near some crabs. If you ||
|| || get the single shell then either aim well, or ||
|| || drag it behind you and reverse into a crab or ||
|| || something. Fortunately there are a hell of a ||
|| || lot more crabs than 20 here so you'll never have ||
|| || to look very hard. Even a three star ranking is ||
|| || easy here. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 4-3 [0M.43] || Reach the finish before the red car! Your ||
|| || opponent here is a very large vehicle and I ||
|| || would try to avoid any car-to-kart contact if I ||
|| || were you. I managed to get the three star ||
|| || ranking down to an easy science so I figure I'll ||
|| || go through that. Winning the race is no ||
|| || difficult task on its own unless you've a habit ||
|| || of being hit by traffic. To get a three star ||
|| || ranking start the race by Drift Boosting once ||
|| || around the first corner, let go and get an item ||
|| || box. Immediately after you get it Drift Boost ||
|| || left again then use one Mushroom and Drift ||
|| || quickly Boost to the right. If all goes well ||
|| || you should be able to launch ahead of the red ||
|| || car around this corner. It will never see you ||
|| || again. Drift Boost left around the next corner. ||
|| || No as you reach the straightaway, you should ||
|| || have two Mushrooms left in your inventory. Turn ||
|| || left when you pass the mountain on your left and ||
|| || use a Mushroom to start crossing the field. ||
|| || You'll need the second Mushroom just to get ||
|| || across the whole way but it's a great shortcut. ||
|| || The rest is self-explanatory. Drift Boost and ||
|| || use any other Mushrooms from now on, but you're ||
|| || home free as long as you don't screw up. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 4-4 [0M.44] || Drive through all 7 numbered gates in order! ||
|| || Another relatively straightforward challenge. ||
|| || All the gates are ordered properly, so there's ||
|| || no turning around or anything. The trick is to ||
|| || go through the first one, Drift Boost right and ||
|| || get an item box. Now use a Mushroom to get ||
|| || through gate number two left of the pyramid, ||
|| || another Mushroom to get toward gate number ||
|| || three, and the third Mushroom to get THROUGH ||
|| || gate number three up to number four. Grab ||
|| || another item box and Drift Boost right through ||
|| || gate number five. Now use all three Mushrooms ||
|| || one after another totally jumping over the hills ||
|| || rather than turning to reach the final gate in ||
|| || record time. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 4-5 [0M.45] || Collect all 15 coins. If you get squashed by a ||
|| || Thwomp, you fail! You actually "fail" fail if ||
|| || you get squashed, we're getting serious now. ||
|| || Getting all the coins once again in the time ||
|| || limit isn't difficult. To actually get a three ||
|| || star ranking you definitely have to get the ||
|| || boost off the start. Just as you approach the ||
|| || final coin jam on the breaks and turn with the ||
|| || accelerator while holding the breaks so you turn ||
|| || fast. Let go of the breaks and aim for the rest ||
|| || of the coins hoping you can grab them all ||
|| || quickly and without being squished. The only ||
|| || other tip I can think of is to try and pick them ||
|| || up only barely touching them, rather than going ||
|| || head on so you're less likely to be stopped dead ||
|| || if a Thwomp drops in front of your face. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 4-6 [0M.46] || Break all 10 item boxes with avoiding the Fake ||
|| || Items! Basically it's just a matter of knowing ||
|| || which one to pick up. You can slow down and ||
|| || check or you can read this: Second from the ||
|| || left, middle, second from the left, far right, ||
|| || far left, far right, second from the left, far ||
|| || right, mid-right, middle. Just pause after each ||
|| || one if you need to and use this guide to see ||
|| || which is coming up. Don't forget to use the ||
|| || Mushroom you get between each one. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 4-7 [0M.47] || Drive through all 10 gates! Notice that it ||
|| || doesn't say in order? Here's how it should be ||
|| || done. First one is directly ahead of you. Go ||
|| || around the middle obstacle to the right slightly ||
|| || and get the second one back on the centre track ||
|| || again. Angle right and get the third, then turn ||
|| || left a bit for the fourth. Make a hard left for ||
|| || the fifth and another weak left for the sixth. ||
|| || Don't even change direction and you should hit ||
|| || the seventh, then the eighth a little on your ||
|| || right. Make a sharper right around the large ||
|| || curve and the ninth and tenth follow soon after. ||
|| || For a good ranking throw some fancy drifting in ||
|| || there. A personal favourite is starting the ||
|| || drift to the left right after you go through ||
|| || gate number three, drifting still through number ||
|| || four and letting go of the Drift Boost through ||
|| || gate number five. Three star rank right there. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 4-8 [0M.48] || Perform 9 power-slide turbo boosts in 1 lap! ||
|| || This one can be a little bit difficult because ||
|| || of all those damn puddles everywhere, but there ||
|| || are definitely enough turns for you to use. ||
|| || Don't try to Drift Boos ton every single turn, ||
|| || there are more than enough big ones as long as ||
|| || you're fast at the transitions with the "S" ||
|| || turns. Even on some straights you can sneak in ||
|| || a couple extra Drift Boosts if need be. A three ||
|| || star rank on this stage is difficult, good luck. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| BOSS STAGE [0M.49] || Collect 50 coins while avoiding King Boo! This ||
|| || is a difficult mission (well more frustrating ||
|| || than difficult.) I won't bother to walk you ||
|| || through the location of each coin, they're easy ||
|| || enough to see on your map. The problem is that ||
|| || while you're collecting coins, King Boo will ||
|| || steal yours and there's nothing you can do about ||
|| || it. When this happens every other coin ||
|| || disappears and you have no choice but to chase ||
|| || him down and get your coins back. Make sure to ||
|| || collect every coin in each section without ||
|| || leaving any behind or you'll waste too much time ||
|| || backtracking. After collecting 50 the mission ||
|| || is complete. A three star ranking is ||
|| || exceptionally difficult here. ||
||______________________||__________________________________________________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
____________________________________________________________________________
|+----------------------++--------------------------------------------------+|
|| MISSION 5-1 [0M.51] || Reach the finish before the stray Chain Chomp! ||
|| || This is a simple race against a large Chain ||
|| || Chomp in Peach's garden. At the beginning of ||
|| || the race you'll pick up an item box which will ||
|| || automatically give you three Mushrooms. Use the ||
|| || first Mushroom when you reach the left turn with ||
|| || the arrow to shortcut across the grass. Already ||
|| || this should almost put you ahead of the Chain ||
|| || Chomp. Use another Mushroom when you reach the ||
|| || top of the hill to cut across the flowers on ||
|| || your right. Navigate between the hedges in the ||
|| || hedge-maze, then use the third Mushroom at the ||
|| || top of the hill after the maze to cut across the ||
|| || flowers. Throw a few Drift Boosts on the final ||
|| || stretch with the moles and the castle and you'll ||
|| || not only win, you'll get the three star ranking. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 5-2 [0M.52] || Drive backward and collect 15 coins! If you hit ||
|| || a snowman, you fail! This mission seems more ||
|| || appropriate for a first stage mission, but alas, ||
|| || you get it here. All you need to do is reverse ||
|| || and turn. Completing the mission is simply a ||
|| || matter of taking it slowly and braking on turns ||
|| || if necessary. Getting a three star ranking is ||
|| || simply a matter of never letting go of the ||
|| || accelerator. Since some turns are slightly to ||
|| || sharp to take that way, don't brake, just start ||
|| || turning early and catch the edge of the coin ||
|| || rather than the middle. Shouldn't take more ||
|| || than three or four tries. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 5-3 [0M.53] || Destroy all 5 item boxes! There's one thing to ||
|| || remember for this mission, the item boxes float ||
|| || and you don't. What does this mean? It means ||
|| || that they can float over the deep water and you ||
|| || can't drive over it. The boxes move all over ||
|| || the place but their actual motion is pretty ||
|| || fluid. The way to get the three star ranking is ||
|| || actually the best way to complete the mission ||
|| || even if you aren't going for a good rank. The ||
|| || premise behind it is as follows: Every single ||
|| || block will follow the first block. All you have ||
|| || to do is go directly for the first block and ||
|| || stop dead once you pick it up. Every single ||
|| || block following it will automatically ram into ||
|| || you since they follow the same path. To get the ||
|| || three star ranking try this. Boost off the ||
|| || start and nab the box on the end. Use the ||
|| || Mushroom to boost for the first box and stop ||
|| || dead. To speed things up you might have to turn ||
|| || around and drive toward the rest of the boxes as ||
|| || they come at you, but this may not be necessary ||
|| || depending on how fast you are. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 5-4 [0M.54] || Drive through all 10 numbered gates in order! ||
|| || Every gate you pass as you drive forward will be ||
|| || the correct one to go through, you don't really ||
|| || need to worry about order unless you actually ||
|| || miss one. Always be sure to keep an eye on ||
|| || what's ahead of you and remember you actually ||
|| || have to go over a lot of the jumps to make it ||
|| || through the gates. Making it to the finish in ||
|| || the time allotted isn't difficult as long as you ||
|| || don't miss any, but this is one of those ||
|| || missions where it's very difficult to get a good ||
|| || rank unless you're fast. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 5-5 [0M.55] || Complete 1 lap in the opposite direction within ||
|| || the time limit! Not a difficult mission by any ||
|| || means. Similar to the last one it's just hard ||
|| || to get a good ranking on it. You have to drive ||
|| || against traffic the whole time making Drift ||
|| || Boost extremely difficult. Make absolutely sure ||
|| || you don't miss the shortcut after the first ||
|| || couple of turns, that will really save time. ||
|| || Other than that, it's all about not being ||
|| || creamed by a bus. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 5-6 [0M.56] || Collect all 18 coins! The coins are not place ||
|| || randomly no matter what it may seem like. ||
|| || Playing the mission you'll soon realize there is ||
|| || a definite pattern you're supposed to collect ||
|| || them in. Boost from the start to get the first ||
|| || coin and the second one behind the mound. After ||
|| || this turn right and you'll see three coins in a ||
|| || straight line. The most important thing about ||
|| || doing this mission correctly is aligning ||
|| || yourself perfectly with these coins. When you ||
|| || do and drive straight through them all you'll ||
|| || hit the Booster Pad (don't hop) and go through ||
|| || one of the three coins in the middle. When you ||
|| || land there's another situation like the first ||
|| || one. Get the coin in front of you and the one ||
|| || behind the mound. Turn right again and align ||
|| || yourself with the coins perfectly to get the ||
|| || second of three coins from the middle. Each ||
|| || time you should be aligned to get one of the ||
|| || three coins, and on the third jump the mission ||
|| || is complete. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 5-7 [0M.57] || Drive through all 8 numbered gates in order! ||
|| || The danger in this mission comes not from the ||
|| || difficulty of passing through the gates, but in ||
|| || avoiding the dangerous snowballs rolling down ||
|| || the mountain toward you. If you can avoid all ||
|| || of these snowballs then it shouldn't be ||
|| || difficult to get a three start ranking on this ||
|| || mission even without any drifting whatsoever. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 5-8 [0M.58] || Reach the finish before Mario! These missions ||
|| || are just so painfully easy, not because Mario is ||
|| || a poor racer, but because the only items you ||
|| || ever get are Mushrooms and Stars. Firstly you ||
|| || can cross the great shortcut near all the ||
|| || Piranha Plants with Mushrooms (and the Stars as ||
|| || well.) Secondly if you're behind Mario and you ||
|| || get a Star you can totally waste him as you fly ||
|| || by. Even if you're doing poorly it's very easy ||
|| || to catch up thanks to the items you'll ||
|| || inevitably find in this level. Of course you ||
|| || still have to drive well if you want to get that ||
|| || three star ranking, but the race itself is easy. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| BOSS STAGE [0M.59] || Hit the Big Bomb-omb with 3 Bomb-ombs! The Big ||
|| || Bomb-omb will pound the ground and drop down a ||
|| || couple of item boxes. Pick it up and throw the ||
|| || Bomb-omb (don't drop it) at the boss. Make sure ||
|| || you don't throw from too far a distance. It ||
|| || should actually hit him while flying through the ||
|| || air. If it hits the ground he can pick it up ||
|| || and throw it back. Also try to avoid driving ||
|| || directly and hit when you throw it otherwise ||
|| || you're likely to end up being hit by the ||
|| || explosion as well. Avoid the Bomb-ombs the boss ||
|| || throws at you and just keep waiting for more ||
|| || item boxes to drop. ||
||______________________||__________________________________________________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
____________________________________________________________________________
|+----------------------++--------------------------------------------------+|
|| MISSION 6-1 [0M.61] || Drive backward across the spinning bridge! If ||
|| || you fall, you're out! This is one of those ||
|| || missions where if you manage to complete it, ||
|| || you're most likely going to get the three star ||
|| || ranking. Remember that the controls are ||
|| || reversed when you're backing up. The bridge ||
|| || will start changing directions as you cross it ||
|| || so always be ready to turn. To get across the ||
|| || bridge in a straight line while it's moving in ||
|| || one direction is to drive diagonally. It's not ||
|| || too difficult to figure out once you've actually ||
|| || tried it. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 6-2 [0M.62] || Get Stars and run over 15 Rocky Wrenches! Every ||
|| || single item box in this area has a Star inside. ||
|| || Get a Star and use it, then pick up another Star ||
|| || for backup and get ready to start running over ||
|| || the mole things. It can actually take some time ||
|| || for them to pop up again after they go down ||
|| || which is why it's a big waste of time to wait by ||
|| || one of them. Drive all over the level looking ||
|| || for ones which have already popped up and crash ||
|| || into those ones. Keep picking up Stars and ||
|| || crashing. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 6-3 [0M.63] || Collect all 30 coins! The coins are positioned ||
|| || in such a way that collecting each one in a row ||
|| || comes naturally, but combined with drifting and ||
|| || other such techniques it becomes very difficult ||
|| || to align yourself with them each time. If ||
|| || you're only trying to complete the mission then ||
|| || try to keep drifting to minimum. If you're ||
|| || going for a three star ranking you'll have to ||
|| || Drift Boost a couple of times, but note you ||
|| || don't have to super-star this mission to get the ||
|| || three Star ranking, just don't screw up. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 6-4 [0M.64] || Destroy all 10 item boxes! This is a pretty fun ||
|| || mission here. Boost right off the start and ||
|| || collect the first item box ahead of you. After ||
|| || that turn left and go up the hill. Every other ||
|| || item box after this point should be on the ||
|| || blocks themselves so there's no need to go back ||
|| || down. Use a combination of your vision and the ||
|| || map to see where all the item boxes are and ||
|| || systematically hunt them down. There is a ||
|| || science to their movement and usually if you see ||
|| || one going around in one direction, you can catch ||
|| || it by going around the other side. Any time ||
|| || above 50 seconds left on the timer when this ||
|| || mission is over should be enough to net you the ||
|| || three star ranking. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 6-5 [0M.65] || Drive through all 8 numbered gates in order! ||
|| || Boost off from the starting line and go through ||
|| || the first gate. After this gate you'll need to ||
|| || use a Mushroom and go over the jump to the ||
|| || second gate. Jump across to the third gate and ||
|| || then use a Mushroom to hop across toward the ||
|| || fourth gate. You'll have to angle yourself a ||
|| || little bit to the right to get this one. Gate ||
|| || number five is in the middle of the track after ||
|| || this one. Number six is a little bit harder, ||
|| || just before you reach the dead end you have to ||
|| || hop across to the cloud with number six on it. ||
|| || Turn left after hopping across and on this track ||
|| || is where you'll find gates seven and eight. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 6-6 [0M.66] || Perform 14 power-slide turbo boosts in 1 lap! ||
|| || You're thumb's going to hurt after this one, I ||
|| || know mine does. Fourteen Drift Boosts on this ||
|| || course isn't out of the question, but it really ||
|| || is like doing one on every single turn, or ||
|| || opting for two on the longer turns while ||
|| || skipping over a couple of the quick "S" curves. ||
|| || There's not a lot I can help you with, it's all ||
|| || about how fast you are able to rock that D-Pad. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 6-7 [0M.67] || Collect all 40 coins! Getting a good rank on ||
|| || this mission is about as hard as it gets, but ||
|| || the mission itself can be done in two ways. You ||
|| || can drive around like a madman avoiding the ||
|| || hands of the clock while picking up every coin ||
|| || you see, or you can recognize the star pattern ||
|| || and systematically pick up every coin in the ||
|| || diagonalized branching lines. When you're hit ||
|| || by one of the hands of the clock five coins will ||
|| || be knocked out of you and you'll lose a lot of ||
|| || time. Avoid letting this happen at all costs ||
|| || and be careful of those Booster Pads, they have ||
|| || a tendency to sneak up on you. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 6-8 [0M.68] || Reach the finish before Peach! The final normal ||
|| || mission is just as easy as all the other ones ||
|| || which put you in a similar situation. The ||
|| || overpowered Stars that you get with almost every ||
|| || item box make it almost impossible to lose if ||
|| || you smash your opponent and drive over the ||
|| || flowers on every turn. Of course going for a ||
|| || three star ranking will prove exceptionally ||
|| || difficult, but that's another matter altogether. ||
|| || There are barriers in place here and there, ||
|| || making the hedge-maze in to a real maze and ||
|| || preventing you from taking the short path near ||
|| || the end. Just make sure you Drift Boost around ||
|| || that final corner before the finish. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| BOSS STAGE [0M.69] || Use Mushroom Boosts to hit Chief Chilly and ||
|| || knock him off the stage 3 times! This is about ||
|| || as close to a "boss of the game" you're going to ||
|| || get (well, perhaps with one exception) and he's ||
|| || no pushover. Given that your goal is to "push" ||
|| || him "over" the edge, that means he's kind of ||
|| || hard. Very similar to the first boss except ||
|| || more aggressive, the ground is slippery, and you ||
|| || have to knock him off three times. To do this ||
|| || make sure you boost into him with a Mushroom ||
|| || when he's NOT charging at you. If you boost ||
|| || into him while he's charging you'll get knocked ||
|| || back quite a large distance. If you boost and ||
|| || miss there is almost no way to stop before you ||
|| || fall over the edge into the water. Make sure ||
|| || you get three Mushrooms, boost into him once, ||
|| || then again and again repeatedly without stopping ||
|| || to get maximum knock-back. After he's been hit ||
|| || twice you have to be really aggressive but ||
|| || really careful. If you back off for even an ||
|| || instant he will get the chance to jump when you ||
|| || boost at him and you'll almost certainly slide ||
|| || into the water. Knock him off three times to ||
|| || complete the mission. ||
||______________________||__________________________________________________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
To unlock the seventh mission level you must first achieve an average ranking
of one star in every other mission in the game, and it will appear to you.
____________________________________________________________________________
|+----------------------++--------------------------------------------------+|
|| MISSION 7-1 [0M.71] || Perform 6 power-slide turbo boosts in 1 lap! ||
|| || Doesn't sound all that hard, but then again ||
|| || Rainbow Road isn't exactly the easiest course ||
|| || ever made. The turns are certainly long enough ||
|| || to Drift Boost around, it's just that most of ||
|| || them are on such an angle that you're liable to ||
|| || slide right off before the turn is complete. No ||
|| || matter however, practice makes perfect and there ||
|| || are more than enough turns in the level to allow ||
|| || you to reach your goal. Do it quickly and ||
|| || perhaps you'll even net yourself a good ranking. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 7-2 [0M.72] || Reach the finish before Bowser! The course is ||
|| || nearly the same with a few minor difference. ||
|| || Barriers have been placed in your way at the ||
|| || beginning meaning you must go around to either ||
|| || the left or right side. Barriers have also been ||
|| || placed after the spinning section. Basically ||
|| || this means that you're forced to take the second ||
|| || exit beyond the fire columns rather than the ||
|| || first one. The biggest difference is that there ||
|| || is a barrier at the opposite end of the spinning ||
|| || cylinder, so jump off right away when you reach ||
|| || it and drive for the other exit. The rest of ||
|| || the course is the same from here, and as always ||
|| || if you're having trouble with your opponent, the ||
|| || game gives you more than enough Stars to deal ||
|| || with him. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 7-3 [0M.73] || Complete 2 laps within the time limit! It's ||
|| || purely a race, but what a race it is. The clock ||
|| || is moving much faster than usual, and has a ||
|| || couple of extra swinging pendulums. This means ||
|| || there are a couple things to keep in mind during ||
|| || the race. Since things are spinning faster, the ||
|| || clock hands are more dangerous and more likely ||
|| || to hit you. Spinning or moving sections will ||
|| || benefit you even more if you allow their ||
|| || movement to help your momentum, especially the ||
|| || spinning gears right before the finish line. ||
|| || Use the course itself to your advantage to beat ||
|| || the clock on this one. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 7-4 [0M.74] || Use shells to defeat all 30 Goombas within the ||
|| || time limit! Unlike the one where you had to ||
|| || eliminate the crabs, there are ONLY 30 Goombas ||
|| || here so make sure you kill every single one of ||
|| || them around you before proceeding. Run into ||
|| || them with the shells spinning around you so that ||
|| || you don't have to aim perfectly, however if ||
|| || you're going for a high ranking then you'll ||
|| || probably have to fire shells more often so that ||
|| || you don't waste time going from Goomba to Goomba ||
|| || individually. It's easy to do as long as you ||
|| || don't accidentally miss any of them ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 7-5 [0M.75] || Collect all 20 coins! Let's be honest with ||
|| || ourselves. Missions are challenging, but ||
|| || they're not DIFFICULT. This mission is the ||
|| || first real "difficult mission." The reason for ||
|| || this is as follows: you have to align yourself ||
|| || perfectly in advance before each Booster Pad in ||
|| || order to get the airborne coins. if you miss ||
|| || them there's not much you can do besides start ||
|| || the whole level over again. For this reason you ||
|| || must drive perfectly not just during key parts ||
|| || of the mission, but through the entire mission ||
|| || itself all the way to the end where one of the ||
|| || hardest alignments occurs. Don't get me wrong, ||
|| || it can easily be done in only a couple of tries, ||
|| || but the fact that so many people have difficulty ||
|| || with this mission is understandable to say the ||
|| || least. Never jump after going over one of the ||
|| || boost jumps. Note that when you reach the four ||
|| || pads in a row with all the mud, you can grab the ||
|| || first coin without hitting the pad. The final ||
|| || couple of coins are positioned in mid-air ||
|| || between some fiery rings. Make sure to use the ||
|| || alignment of the coins before it to accurately ||
|| || aim yourself. It's not easy. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 7-6 [0M.76] || Drive through all 8 numbered gates in order! ||
|| || This is an all-or-nothing mission. You can try ||
|| || and get through all the gates normally but ||
|| || you'll almost certainly run out of time. It is ||
|| || meant to be done all in a single drift. Boost ||
|| || right from the start and then begin your drift, ||
|| || controlling your kart through each of the arches ||
|| || around once, and then again for a second lap. ||
|| || You'll only have a second or two left a the end, ||
|| || but if you do it without hitting a wall then ||
|| || there's pretty much no ranking you can get ||
|| || besides three stars. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 7-7 [0M.77] || Drive backward and collect all 12 coins! If you ||
|| || hit a burner, you fail! Everything here is ||
|| || straightforward, there aren't any hidden coins ||
|| || or anything like that. Here are a couple of ||
|| || tricks to use. First, the crates can be broken ||
|| || by backing into them (this actually isn't very ||
|| || useful at all from what I can tell, if you can ||
|| || find a practical use, feel free to use it.) A ||
|| || better trick is use the R trigger and hop around ||
|| || corners to help you turn faster. It really ||
|| || works and will go a long way toward getting a ||
|| || good ranking on this level. Drive straight ||
|| || through the coins at the end when the fire ||
|| || columns are out of your way and that's it, ||
|| || mission complete. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| MISSION 7-8 [0M.78] || Break all 10 item boxes while avoiding the Fake ||
|| || Items! You've done this before on the Choco ||
|| || Mountain, now you're doing it again. There are ||
|| || plenty of ways to tell which box is real. It ||
|| || has a question mark in it, it spins, it's not ||
|| || red like the fake boxes are on your map. ||
|| || Personally I use the fact that it's spinning to ||
|| || tell which is real from a distance. Most of ||
|| || them are obvious however there are a couple of ||
|| || tricksters and both come in the haunted house ||
|| || section. When you see the red arrow pointing ||
|| || you to the right, go left instead and just over ||
|| || the small gap to your left like I described in ||
|| || the stage's strategy above. Just after you do ||
|| || you'll find a somewhat well hidden item box you ||
|| || may have missed if you went the other way. The ||
|| || second thing is to note that the line of boxes ||
|| || at the end of the haunted house doesn't have a ||
|| || single real box, you have to go around the left ||
|| || side to find it. ||
||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------||
|| BOSS STAGE [0M.79] || Reach the finish before Wiggler! Wiggler is the ||
|| || true final boss and you have to race him through ||
|| || three laps to reach the finish line. Probably ||
|| || not the hardest mission in the game but ||
|| || definitely the hardest race. You'll need to use ||
|| || the Mushrooms and Stars to get you across the ||
|| || shortcut in every single lap otherwise you'll ||
|| || probably have no chance of winning. After using ||
|| || a Star you can drive straight through traffic ||
|| || without being affected, but don't try and knock ||
|| || out the Wiggler, unfortunately that doesn't ||
|| || work. Make sure you're a decent distance ahead ||
|| || by the final lap because he gets pretty angry. ||
||______________________||__________________________________________________||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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|| LE.AL || Legal & Copyright || LE.AL ||
__||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||__
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This guide is copyright (c) 2005 Alex Eagleson, the author.
This walkthrough was written solely to be hosted at www.gamefaqs.com. It can
also be found at www.ign.com, www.neoseeker.com and many other websites, all
who sent an email asking permission to put them guide up on their site.
I do by the way, encourage people to send email, feedback is always
appreciated in any form, it's always nice to know you've helped someone.
For a list of all my work, please visit the following URL:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/45802.html
______________________________________________________________________________
~~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~~
|| CR.DS || Credits & Thanks || CR.DS ||
__||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||__
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Jeff "CJayC" Veasey for hosting this guide on GameFAQs, and just handling
the site phenominally over these past ten years.
- Sean, Mark and Jeremy back at the University of Guelph
- Anyone and everyone reading this guide
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